A widow's journey through age, loss and loneliness
- Alexis Baker
- Apr 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 9
When her husband died, most people questioned Beverly Hockersmith's ability to maintain a 500-acre cattle farm on her own, and sometimes, she even doubted herself.
Hockersmith, an 87-year-old farmer in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, owns and operates Rie-Al farm, and has been maintaining most of the daily upkeep by herself since she lost her husband in 2012.
She has had a deep connection to the land since childhood and enjoyed all the rigorous and sometimes mundane work that came with a farm. She described herself as the closest thing her parents had to a little boy.
Until her husband, Don Hockersmith, came along, her heart belonged entirely to her family farm and surrounding herself with nature.
Beverly and Don enjoyed all things outdoors, from riding bicycles and horses to snow skiing in Colorado where they owned a cabin. They began to travel even more in their 40s as Don played the guitar at many local events and country music shows.
She and Don spent 24/7 together — working, living and building a life. When he died, her world was turned upside down. People often questioned what she would do without him. Beverly said she knew her strength and knew she would be OK.
"Just before he passed away, he asked... What in the world are you going to do?' And I said I'm a very strong person, but you're not going to die,'" Beverly said.
Beverly's connection with the natural beauty around her remains strong, often overcoming the trials and tribulations of age, loss and loneliness.
In her free time, she goes into town to be with people, eats at a family-owned restaurant in her neighboring hometown and stays busy on the farm. Upon approaching her winding gravel drive, one would most likely find her on her lawnmower, stripping the rolling hills of her front yard
Beverly said she keeps busy to combat her loneliness.
After a bitter cold front hit Kentucky in early 2025, Beverly was stuck in her house for weeks, and since staying active and independent are pillars of her well-being, she faced some dark days.
She said for the first time, she knew what depression felt like.
"Those two weeks I (had) a lot of depression, get depressed, but I find a way to get out of it," Beverly said.
Without access to the outside world, her way out was spending time with her thoughts, which can be scary for most, but not for Beverly.
She said she thinks about the wonderful life and husband she's had and ultimately finds her way through.
As the winter storm settled, she looked forward to returning to her routine, which sometimes included breakfast at Huddle House, going into town for fried chicken, getting her steps in at Walmart and tending to the farm for as long as she could.
Beverly said she has recognized that the fate of the farm is out of her hands after she dies, but her grandson, Neale Shryock, and his wife share the deep-seated love of the land. With acres full of cattle, they help her out as much as they can.
While he was sick, Don told Beverly they couldn't sell the farm.
With his words in the back of her head, she turned down a $1.4 million offer, she made it clear the farm would be passed on to her only daughter, Donna Shryock. Beverly said she trusts her family will know exactly what to do when the time comes.
"He's here. You know, I can feel his presence," Beverly said. "Everyone said he would be so proud of me, but he was proud of me every day of his life."
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