Beverly “Bev” Clumpner

Celebration of Bev’s Life:  Saturday, Sept. 18th at 10:30 am at the Command Aviation Hangar, 2010 W. Bakerview Rd.
Beverly left her earthly body August 20, 2010 after a long illness. Bev was born to Lloyd and Gladys Snider January 11, 1930 in Bellingham. Beverly married Jack Clumpner August 21, 1948 after graduating from Bellingham High School. Bev is survived by 3 children: Laurie Clumpner and her partner Dan Trowse of Bellingham, Curt Clumpner of Astoria, OR, and Jacki McClung and husband Jim of Englewood, FL, and granddaughter Lilly Dyson-Clumpner of Melbourne Australia, all of whom will miss her greatly. Bev was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Vernon and Russell Snider.
Beverly had a full life from start to finish. While raising 3 children she worked at the Bon Marche as a tailor and later had a business “The Tailor Shop.”  She also designed and produced costumes for recitals of Betty Allsop’s dance students in the 1950’s. Bev loved skiing with her family and spent many a weekend on the slopes of Mt Baker. On April 1, 1978 Bev bought “The Airport Cafe” in partnership with her youngest daughter Laurie. It was “the best and worst of times.”  Bev and Laurie loved the Cafe and became local celebrities known for serving 6-egg omelets, airplane pancakes, Ortega burgers and many other longtime favorites to the locals and tourists who frequented the “little red shack” on the tarmac at the Bellingham Airport. In 1985 amid much protest from loyal customers, the Port of Bellingham evicted the Airport Cafe from the Bellingham Airport to make way for a “bigger and better restaurant.”  Against all odds, Bev spent a year’s time and all of her own money physically moving the little red building to the corner of Bennett and Bakerview — it only survived a few more years and closed the doors forever in 1989.  An entire generation of children grew up eating airplane pancakes at the Airport Cafe and it will be the thing in life that Bev will always be remembered for the most.  Bev had been a caregiver for many family members by this time in her life and that was the next profession that she pursued with passion.  She was very good at it and was always busy.
In December of 2003 she suffered a debilitating stroke and went to live at Mt. Baker Care Center. Thank you once again to all who visited her there and brought flowers or cookies – you will never know how much it meant to her children.  “What the caterpillar perceives as the end, to the butterfly is just the beginning.”  Bev’s family would like to sincerely thank the people who work at Mt. Baker Care Center for taking such wonderful care of our mom for the past 6 ½ years.
A Celebration of Bev’s life will be held Sat. Sept. 18th at 10:30 am at the Command Aviation hangar, 2010 W. Bakerview Rd. Directions:  Heading west on W. Bakerview, which turns into Airport Drive at the Bennett stoplight, take right (north) on Airport Way, left (west) on W. Bakerview to the end of the street.
Memorials may be made to International Bird Rescue http://www.ibrrc.org ; the Whatcom Humane Society, 3710 Williamson Way, 98226; or Bellingham Womencare Shelter in Bev’s name.