Beverly Dickson Spitzer

Beverly Dickson Spitzer died peacefully in her sleep on Feb. 3, 2026. Beverly was a devoted loving wife and mother, beautiful in every way. She gave her warm, welcoming, unconditional love and kindness to all who encountered her every day. She was a beacon of light and love. Her gentle spirit, sage advice, and creativity are gifts she shared with all of her children and grandchildren. There is no greater legacy in this life than to share this kind of love. If we can share it with our families and pass it down to our children and grandchildren then we have honored her in the best way.

Beverly was born on October 18, 1941 the daughter of the late Waverly and Margaret Dickson. She is preceded in death by her sisters Margaret Marsh and Anne Ravenel, her son Ian Clark Spitzer and son in law Mark Gebauer.

In 1963, she married to Robert Clark Spitzer at St. David’s Episcopal Church with a reception at the Washington Club.

In addition to her husband, Beverly is survived by her daughter, Catherine Spitzer Gebauer, and her children Louise Gebauer, Samantha Gebauer, and Alex Gebauer, her late son Ian Clark Spitzer’s children Ava, Elsie and Barrett Spitzer; her son Todd Bradshaw Spitzer, his wife Heather Koontz, and their children Tess Koontz and Bennet Koontz; her son Dr. David Morgan Spitzer, his wife Sara Spitzer, and their three children Maya, Ani and Luna.

Beverly grew up in Washington, DC, attending the Madeira School, St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, VA, Garland Jr. College and the Rhode Island School of Design for interior design.

She started her career at the Perkins and Will architectural firm in Chicago, Illinois designing office space and furniture.

As she raised her four children, Beverly devoted herself to volunteer work in the community. She volunteered with the Junior League of Harrisburg, performing marionette puppet shows and reading stories for underprivileged children, helped found the Museum of Scientific Discovery, now a part of the Whitaker Center for the Arts and Sciences and served as President of the museum, and later worked for the American Red Cross to obtain grants for our area. She volunteered as a Brownie Girl Scout leader, classroom mother, and created floral arrangements at church. Beverly loved to paint, drawing much of her inspiration from the peace and beauty she found among the flowers in her garden.

Beverly is an award-winning artist known for her abstract expressionism. Her work was featured at the American Watercolor Society 144th International Exhibition at the Salmugundi Club in NYC in 2011. The March, 2008 Artists Magazine recognized her outstanding work as one of the artists of “Six over Sixty.”

Her work was showcased in the December 2009 Watercolor Magazine as one of ten “Ones to Watch; Works by Fresh Faces in Water Media Take Flight”. She was accepted as a Signature Member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters. She achieved signature membership and won the 2007 Keystone Award in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and the prestigious American Watercolor Society.

Her art works have been displayed at various art galleries, including the Art Association of Harrisburg, the Susquehanna Art Museum, the Mechanicsburg Art Center School and Galleries, York Art Association, Art and Soul Gallery, Studio Gallery 234, Arts @510, PA Watercolor Society and most recently at the Southern Allegheny Museum of Art 2025 Fallingwater Exhibit.

Beverly taught us to see the beauty in the world and to stand up and meet it with an open mind and heart.

We all mourn her passing and will try to purposefully live our lives caring for our families and the community in the same way.

A visitation will be held at 10:30 AM on Monday, February 9th, 2026, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral, 221 N. Front Street, Harrisburg, PA. The service will start promptly at 11:30 AM with inurnment to follow after at St. Stephen’s columbarium.