Lasting Memories

Nada Bevc
June 3, 1931-March 29, 2024
Danville, California

Longtime Danville resident Nada Bevc passed away peacefully on March 29, 2024 in Walnut Creek California. Nada was born on June 3, 1931 to Angela and Anton Jarošin in Celje Slovenia (then Yugoslavia). She often recounted fond memories of her childhood in Slovenia: time spent with her grandfather Karl Pajk, trips with her parents, bicycle rides and hikes in the Savinijan Alps, time on the Adriatic coast, and her joy of gymnastics. While she loved the nature and beauty of her homeland, her time there was disrupted by war and Nazi occupation. Her family was separated, and family members and friends were lost to the ravages of war. After the war, as a young woman, Nada coached a Slovenian gymnastics team, and one of her fondest memories was taking her team to the Rome Olympics in support of the Yugoslav teams. As a young woman in communist Yugoslavia, Nada began studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses; she was turned in by a “friend” for her association, and arrested and interrogated by the communists, who wanted her to reveal identities of the Witnesses. Nada refused to give names and was eventually released. While working as a bank teller in Celje, Nada attended a party, where she met a Cal graduate student (Vladislav Ako Bevc), visiting his homeland on a break from his studies. They struck up a relationship, he invited her to the U.S.A., and they were married after about a month of her arrival. Nada continued her association with Jehovah’s Witnesses, becoming baptized in 1972. The Witnesses were her network and her support in her new country as she set about raising her children and supporting her family. Nada was a fantastic cook, baker, and seamstress and always did her best to provide her utmost to family and friends. She was fiercely defensive of her family. Nada enjoyed being outdoors. She particularly loved to swim and go to the beach. She enjoyed going to Maui and spending time at Tahoe, where the lake and mountains reminded her of her homeland’s Lake Bohinj. She took up skiing later in life, and enjoyed going on cruises in Europe and Alaska. But most of all she was a proud mother and grandmother, always looking out for her children and grandchildren. Nada was predeceased by her husband of sixty years, Vladislav Ako Bevc. She is survived by her daughter Ryka Ramos, son Dimitri Bevc, daughter-in-law Katherine Bevc, and grandsons Jarron Ramos and Alec Bevc, and step granddaughter Tyler Adams.