Beverly Atlee Cleary was born on April 12, 1916, but, she died on March 25, 2021. She turned 100 in 2016.
She was an American writer of children’s and young adult fiction. One of America’s most successful authors, she sold 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950.
Some of Cleary’s best-known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.
She won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw.
For her lifetime contributions to American literature, Cleary received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children.
The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995.
She turned 100 in 2016.
HUSBAND AND CHILDREN
Beverly was married to Clarence Cleary (m. 1940–2004).
In 1955, Cleary gave birth to twins, Malcolm and Marianne. Cleary had lived in Carmel Valley, California, since before her husband’s death in 2004. As of 2016, she lived in a retirement home there.
Cleary celebrated her 100th birthday on April 12, 2016, an event that was noted in several news sources. Cleary’s birthday is now celebrated nationwide as D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Day, with activities related to the Drop Everything and Read program.
CAUSE OF DEATH
On March 25, 2021, Cleary passed away due to her age, at the age of 104 in Carmel, California.
NET WORTH
Cleary’s net worth at the time of her death is estimated at around $20 million.
