Beatrice Spechko Mikulecky of Brookline, MA, 87, passed away on June 8, 2025.Predeceased
by her son, Joel, Bea is survived by her daughter, Liz Lacy, and her two granddaughters, Anna
and Piper. She is also survived by her 9-month-old great-granddaughter, Alaya.
Bea was born on December 24, 1937 in Chicago, IL. As the first in her family to attend college,
Bea accepted a full-ride scholarship to the University of Chicago. She left college to start a
family but her hiatus from education was short-lived. Bea went on to earn a master's degree in
TESOL and a doctorate in Applied Psycholinguistics from Boston University. Bea taught
reading, writing, and ESL to highschool, college, and graduate students and worked as a teacher
trainer in the Harvard University Summer ESL Program, in the Simmons College MATESL
Program, and in Moscow, Russia. She is the author of A Short Course in Teaching Reading Skills
and co-author of the Reading Power series.
Paired with her passion for language and teaching was Bea’s love for travel. She spent time
living in Moscow as a Fulbright Scholar, as well as in Israel with her young family. Bea shared
many trips around the world with her daughter, Liz, including a visit to South Africa, where Bea
got to meet elephants, a species she loved dearly. Bea also made trips to Japan, France,
Switzerland, Spain, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
One of the great joys of Bea’s life was being a grandmother. She devoted herself to providing her
granddaughters with opportunities to explore the arts and sciences, including piano lessons,
annual performances of the Nutcracker, and summer science camp programs at the New England
Aquarium. Bea also loved spending school breaks with her daughter and granddaughters in
South Carolina and Sanibel Island.
Bea will be remembered by her strong spirit, fierce independence, and never ending generosity.
Bea cared deeply about social issues and advocated for single-payer health care, reproductive
rights, and quality education for all. Bea also worked with organizations in Brookline, such as
the Brookline Senior Center and BrooklineCAN, to improve resources for senior citizens within
the community.
There will be a celebration of Bea’s life in Fall 2025. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a
donation to Planned Parenthood or any other organization that furthers the values that Bea lived
by including access to education, women’s rights, and healthcare reform.