Woman wrestler from Bluffs dies

COUNCIL BLUFFS — Council Bluffs native Beverly Lehmer suffered from polio as a child yet she became a top performer in women’s wrestling for 20 years.

“She wrestled in Cuba, when you could go to Cuba, and all the states that had women’s wrestling,” said her sister, Alice Fales of Council Bluffs.

Fales reminisced Tuesday about the life of Lehmer, who died Aug. 30 at her home in Estes Park, Colo. She was 77.

Lehmer began wrestling around the age of 15, almost by accident, according to Fales. Another sister, Carolyn, was dating a boy whose father was a sports promoter and got Carolyn interested in wrestling. She needed someone to practice with and that’s how Beverly was introduced to a career.

Lehmer wrestled between 1948 and 1968. “She made $500 a week and that was good money back in the 1950s,” Fales said.

Eventually, Lehmer moved to Colorado where she helped people dealing with alcohol abuse. Lehmer herself had won that battle, Fales said. In fact, the day she died, Lehmer was to receive a coin in honor of her 34 years of being sober.

There were no services, at Lehmer’s request, her sister said.

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