Alicia Norling

Alicia Kay Beason was born at home in Los Angeles, California March 25, 1929.  “Bunny” (an early nickname) was the youngest of four and as a young person growing up during the depression, she loved cats, dogs, horses, and being in the outdoors.  She had three children with her first husband and high school sweetheart Ray:  Jason, Jillian, and Liz.  A lifelong musician, “Ray and Kay” would travel throughout the U.S. to his various venues – young Jason in tow.

When this marriage ended, Alicia started her new life in Monterey Park as a single, working mom and returned to school at East Los Angeles Community College (in the 1960s which was no small feat in that era), she went on to earn a BA in Education from Cal State L.A.  After graduation she began teaching elementary school Spanish/ESL classes.  Each challenge she met with her incredible resourcefulness, she could fix anything.  She celebrated holidays with great color and vigor!  On Halloween for example, aside from making elaborate costumes for the girl’s, she would fill her old Volkswagen bug (leaving only enough room for the driver and scope of the stick-shift), to the roof with pumpkins, enough for all of her students!

Some of the entire family’s most enjoyable memories was loading up the VW and leaving the smoggy skies behind to head south to the Baja Peninsula for camping trips.  She had studied geology at Cal State and with some of her peers, they began the Baja trips led by a revered professor there, Howard Brunson.

In that same period Alicia was also engaged in some political activism and her daughter remembers marching for one cause or another and holding signs at markets supporting the United Farm Worker grape boycott.  And/or block parties held for one senator or another presidential candidate.  After retiring from teaching Alicia became more involved with her personal interests of cycling, cooking, reading, woodworking and when possible, attending operas and other cultural events.  She had a refined sense of style and aesthetics.  Her cooking was legendary among her friends, not only for its deliciousness, but also her meticulous presentation.

In the early 1990’s, Alicia fell in love with north central New Mexico during visits to see her daughter Liz in the village of Vallecitos and decided to move (along w/ her beloved cat) to Taos, New Mexico permanently.  Liz built her a beautiful house in Arroyo Hondo which they shared for the remaining years of her long, fruitful life.  Her daughter Jillian joined the family in Taos in 2017.

Alicia stayed very connected to the outer world through her favorite progressive radio talk shows and reading the New Yorker, Harper’s, The Nation, and Mother Jones.  She was passionate about registering first time voters, and in her later years in Taos she remained very active in local Democratic politics.  She loved having substantive conversations about world events, politics and culture with her beloved circle of close friends, they met at one another’s houses monthly to share meals and treasured companionship.  Alicia took great pride in her capacity to be independent.

At different periods in her life, she had bouts with cancer, and ultimately succumbed to lung cancer the evening of July 19^th surrounded in love.  We will miss her good company, tenacious spirit, and generosity.  Rest in power and peace dear Alicia.

The family of Alicia Kay Beason has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos.  866-657-4019 www.devargastaos.com