Beverly Nye

submitted by: Leah Nye


My great grandma was born in Grand Island, Nebraska in 1934 during the dust bowl. Her dad died when she was 2 months old. She lived with her mom, grandma, and grandpa and he worked on the Union Pacific Railroad. She took piano lessons for 25 cents every week. When she got a little older, she went to stay with her aunt and uncle during the summers at their sheep ranch in Montana. When Grandma Nye was seven, she moved to the town of Abbott and went to a one room schoolhouse that had an outhouse.

When she graduated from 8th grade, she moved back to Grand Island to go to high school. After high school, she was given a full scholarship at a teachers college, but her parents said girls don’t need to go to college. Grandma married Roy Nye, and they had 4 children. Their first house cost $13,900. They were poor for many years. For a long time, all they ate was soda crackers and pasta with canned tomatoes. They moved to a lot of different houses in different states. To earn money for her family, she learned how to bake and sew.

Because she grew up in the great depression, they didn’t have a lot, but they learned how to make the most of it and be happy. She always dreamed of being a great mom and the best mom she could be. She always wanted to have a warm and welcoming home with lots of yummy and delicious foods. So she worked really hard on it and she got really good at baking and sewing. She even started teaching friends and neighbors tricks and tips for homemaking.

In the 1970s, Grandma started appearing on some TV shows to teach and share about homemaking skills. She wrote a book called A Family Raised on Sunshine. She started to write more books that were very successful and were sold around the country. For seven years, she was on the Bob Braun show. While she was living in Cincinnati, she opened a small bakery called Beverly’s Pantry. She eventually had her own TV show with Proctor and Gamble called At Home with Beverly Nye. This was one of the original TV cooking shows.

In the 80s and 90s, Grandma started to have some health struggles like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Grandpa was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Grandma retired in South Jordan, Utah. Sadly, her husband, Roy, passed away because of complications of a fall in 2005. My great Grandma still lives in South Jordan, and I get to go visit her sometimes. She has had a wonderful life but with challenges. She touched many lives for good. She always says, “smile always.”