After a valiant fight with pneumonia and multiple myeloma that lasted almost 19 years, Beverly Zimmerman Salasky succumbed June 17, 2021. She was a lifelong Texan, born in Dallas May 6, 1950; her formative years were spent at Preston Forest with her parents, Milton and Shirley Zimmerman (z”l). After Hillcrest High School, she headed to Austin and the University of Texas.
In 1972 Beverly accepted a teaching job in Atlanta and soon met the love of her life, Jackson Salasky, a law student from Virginia. After a long courtship, they married in 1977. Their daughter Lauren came into her life in 1979. Beverly’s close friends and family called her “The Babaleta.” The nickname was inspired by Jackson’s friend from Italy as he referred to his wife as beautiful babydoll in Italian: “The Babaleta.” In no time did she become The Babaleta to all, including her grandsons.
Once Lauren began school, Beverly went back to teaching, first at the Temple Emanu-El preschool followed by many years at Levine Academy, where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2009. She retired in 2015 and began to spend more and more time with her three grandsons, Benny, Henry and Joey, as they moved from Nyack, New York, to San Antonio and finally St. Louis.
In 2002, Beverly was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. For 10 years it was not a major factor in her everyday life. Then, in 2015, she endured a stem cell transplant followed by years of regular chemotherapy. It was only by virtue of the efforts of Dr. Madhuri Vusirikala at UT Southwestern that she was able to lead a full and productive life until the beginning of 2021. Dr. Joel Roffman counseled Beverly and Jackson almost daily for the past year, never allowing her to be anything but positive.
Beverly reveled in seeing her former students in the mall or grocery store and always attended their dance recitals and sports events. The only thing that made her happier was cooking for her grandsons in their home or hers. Lauren and her husband, Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham, make their home in St. Louis, where he is a rabbi at Congregation B’nai Amoona. Beverly is survived by her sister Cheryl and Paul Rodbell of Atlanta and her sister-in-law Marilyn and Ken Siegel of Virginia Beach. A graveside ceremony was held June 18 at Shearith Israel Cemetery, with Rabbi Ari Sunshine and Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham officiating.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Levine Academy Early Childhood Department at 18011 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, TX 75252.
