( CNN ) -- Barbara Billingsley , who wore a classy pearl necklace and dispensed pearls of wisdom as America 's quintessential mom on `` Leave it to Beaver , '' has died at age 94 , a family spokeswoman said Saturday . The actress passed away at 2 a.m. ( 5 a.m . ET ) Saturday at her home in Santa Monica , California , after a long illness , spokeswoman Judy Twersky said . A private memorial is being planned . Actor Jerry Mathers , who played Theodore `` Beaver '' Cleaver , called Billingsley a lifetime mentor . `` Barbara was a patient advisor and teacher . She helped me along this challenging journey through life by showing me the importance of manners , and respect for others , '' Mathers said in a statement . `` She will be missed by all of her family , friends , fans and most especially by me . '' Tony Dow , who played Beaver 's brother , Wally Cleaver , also reflected on Billingsley 's legacy . `` She was as happy as a lark being recognized as America 's mom , '' Dow told CNN 's Don Lemon . `` She had a terrific life and had a wonderful impact on everybody she knew , and even people she did n't know . '' The actress won a new legion of fans in a brief , but memorable , scene in the 1980 send-up movie `` Airplane . '' `` Oh , stewardess . I speak jive , '' Billingsley said in her role -- much different from her June Cleaver persona -- as an elderly passenger comforting an ill man on the flight . She , the sick man and his seat companion engaged in street-slang banter . From the moment its catchy theme song sounded in black-and-white TV sets of the 1950s , `` Leave it to Beaver '' enthralled Americans during a time of relative prosperity and world peace . Its characters represented middle-class white America . June Cleaver dutifully pecked the cheek of her husband , Ward ( played by the late Hugh Beaumont ) , when he came home to learn about the latest foibles -- nothing serious -- committed by Beaver and Wally . `` Ward , I 'm very worried about the Beaver , '' was a common refrain . The parents would dispense moralistic advice to their sons . The boys ' friends included Lumpy and the obsequious Eddie Haskell , who avoided trouble and often buttered up Ward and June . `` That 's a lovely dress you 're wearing , Mrs. Cleaver , '' Eddie would typically say to Billingsley 's character . Perhaps fittingly , `` Leave it to Beaver '' was canceled in 1963 on the eve of the JFK assassination , the Vietnam War and the tumult of the 1960s . In the 1980s , Dow appeared with Billingsley in `` The New Leave it to Beaver . '' She shifted from being a mom figure to a good friend who supported his directing and artistic endeavors , Dow said . `` She always had a positive thing to say , '' said Dow , 65 . Mathers spoke of Billingsley 's talent during a 2000 appearance on CNN 's `` Larry King Live . '' `` We kind of stifled her , because her true talent did n't really come out in 'Leave it Beaver . ' She was like the straight man , but she has an awful lot of talent . '' Born December 22 , 1915 , in Los Angeles , Billingsley began her career as a model in New York City in 1936 . She was under contract to MGM in 1945 before becoming a household name with the launch of `` Leave it to Beaver '' in 1957 . Billingsley also voiced the role of Nanny in Nickelodeon 's `` Muppet Babies '' from 1984 to 1991 . Billingsley is related by marriage to actor/producer Peter Billingsley , known for his starring role as Ralphie in the seasonal TV-movie classic `` A Christmas Story , '' according to the Internet Movie Database . Peter Billingsley 's mother , Gail Billingsley , is the cousin of Barbara 's first husband , Glenn . Billingsley , whose second and third husbands predeceased her , is survived by her two sons , Drew Billingsley of Granada Hills , California , and Glenn Billingsley of Phillips Ranch , California . Asked once to compare real-life families to TV families , Billingsley responded , `` I just wish that we could have more families like those . Family is so important , and I just do n't think we have enough people staying home with their babies and their children . ''
Actress Barbara Billingsley dies at home at age 94 . She is best known for her role as June Cleaver . A private memorial is being planned .