Beverly K. Rankin, age 81 of Grinnell, died on Sunday, December 9, 2018 at the Mayflower Community Health Care Center in Grinnell with her family by her side and under the care of Grinnell Regional Hospice. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, December 14th in the Carman Center of the Mayflower Community in Grinnell with Rev. Len Eberhart and Rev. Christine Tinker officiating. A reception will follow the service in the Buckley Dining Room at the Mayflower Community. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Smith Funeral Home and the family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to her service on Friday in the Carman Center of the Mayflower Community. Memorials may be designated to the Mayflower Community Human Needs Fund, mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Bev's family online at www.smithfh.com. Beverly Kay Rankin was born on May 16, 1937 in Newton, Iowa to Gerald Lee Rankin and Cleora Pauline (Wells) Rankin. She was raised in Newton for a short while and later her family moved to Gilman, Iowa. She graduated from Gilman Consolidated High School with the class of 1956. Beverly started working for General Telephone Company in 1956 and working in various accounting and payroll departments over the years. The latter part of her career with GTE was in the 1-800 Calling Card Center, where she helped cover the phones twenty-four hours a day. After 42 ½ years of employment with GTE, she retired in March of 1999. She began working for Fareway grocery store in Grinnell in September of 1999 and retired in 2006. In December of 2006, she moved from her home in Grinnell to the Mayflower Community, where she worked in the Food Services department for seven years. Beverly was a member of the Grinnell United Methodist Church. Beverly's family and faith were her life. Her greatest joy was spending time with her nieces and nephews, whether it was reading books, solving puzzles, or sitting outside watching them play and have fun. Bev will be remembered for the love of her family, her infectious smile, her soft-spoken words, her gift of patience and kindness, and for always putting the needs of others ahead of hers. Bev is survived by her sisters, Janet (Harry) Scurr of Gilman, Iowa and Debbie Smith of Grinnell; brother, Dennis (Carla) Rankin of Lineville, Iowa; 12 nieces and nephews; 27 great nieces and nephews; and 5 great great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother, Pauline Rankin in 1988; brother-in-law, Jerry Wisgerhof in 1996; father, Gerald Rankin in 1999; niece, Sara Rankin Walkup in 2011; and sister, Joyce Wisgerhof in 2012. Bev's family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the nurse's and staff at the Mayflower Community for their loving care provided to Bev and the acts of kindness provided to the family.