URS Retirees Share Their Stories | Amy Bevilockway
A Retirement Finely Crafted
By making the right moves during her career, this URS member enjoys a retirement engaged in her passion for quilting and charity.
“A small amount can grow, especially if you have an employer that matches. Even the smallest amount of money can blossom into something bigger if you stay the course.”
To a novice, creating a major quilting project from scratch can seem overwhelming. URS retiree Amy Bevilockway, a lifelong quilter, offers this advice: Start small. “Sometimes people see my quilts and say, ‘I could never do that.’ Well, don’t focus on doing a king-sized quilt. Focus on a hot pad, focus on a place mat. Focus on something small to begin with.”
Amy, who retired in 2020 after 20 years in the URS system, offers similar advice about saving for retirement. “Can you start with $10 dollars a month, or whatever you can spare? A small amount can grow, especially if you have an employer that matches. Even the smallest amount of money can blossom into something bigger if you stay the course.” Amy worked for Sevier County and the Department of Workforce Services during her career and lives in Glenwood, Utah, with her husband, Tom.
Quilting For a Cause
After she retired, money from her retirement savings plans allowed Amy to buy her “dream quilting equipment” and elevate her hobby and charity work. She donates her creations for charity auctions benefiting such causes as the Sevier County Sheriff Department’s Shop With a Cop program. She works extensively with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a charity that provides beds for kids in need. For Amy, quilting is a rewarding combination of creativity, community, and charity. “I love that I can create something useful and provide a ‘warm hug’ to someone,” she said. Her monthly pension benefit and her retirement savings plans finance her lifestyle and allow her to “pay it forward.” “It brings me peace of mind to know my retirement benefit is there,” Amy said. “We’re just fine. That allows me to do these donation quilts or help in any way we can.”
‘Focused on Living’
URS, she said, has been by her side every step of her retirement journey. Throughout her career, she would frequently meet with URS representatives when they visited her workplace. And, a few years before retirement, she scheduled an individual retirement planning session (www.urs.org/us/irps) to help estimate her sources of retirement income and make sure she was on track. “I don’t want to be focused on the money, I want to be focused on living,” Amy said. “And URS has allowed me to do that. I trust what they’re doing and how they guide me. The people are amazing. At my one-on-one session, I was so impressed with their kindness and knowledge.”
