Beverly Anne Valum Johnson

Beverly Anne was born to Marjorie E. (Ticknor) and Cleo C. Baughman in Bellingham on September 15, 1920. Anne attended kindergarten through seventh grade at the Normal Training School, where she received an exceptional early education. After the family moved to the East end of North Shore Drive on Lake Whatcom, she attended a one-room school house. After graduating from 8th grade, she attended Whatcom High School for two years. Subsequently, she recruited others of high school age from the area and persuaded Mount Baker School District officials to run a bus to Agate Bay to pick them up. As a young girl, Anne was usually buried in a book. One of her teachers observed it would be wise to get her head out of books on occasion and suggested she take music lessons. She began studying piano under the guidance of Miss Marjorie Brighouse, and fell in love with the instrument. When not reading or practicing the piano, Anne sketched portraits. At Mount Baker High, Anne began accompanying Oddmund Valum, a singer and classmate. She graduated from Mount Baker in 1938 and later attended University of Washington. She married Odd on June 6, 1942. Having grown up as an only child, Anne loved the whole idea of a large family, so she and Odd had five children. Anne always loved music and felt it had nourished her throughout her life so she encouraged her children to take up instruments, which they did with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Anne decided to pursue an interest in learning to play the organ. This led to several years as a church organist and eventually led to her acquiring an electronic pipe organ, which she soon mastered. When not accompanying her husband or children, or church choirs and soloists, Anne further developed her interest in art, taking classes in oil painting and then producing several still lifes and portraits. In her 70s she resumed study of the piano, taking lessons from Robert Lundquist. Anne worked for a well-known doctor as his office assistant for several years and then worked in the local office of the Department of Natural Resources. As her children grew up and left home, she developed an interest in real estate that led her to a career as a realtor. Anne nursed her husband, Odd, through his final illness and was at his side when he died in July 1985. Then, after several years of solitary widowhood, she fell in love once more. In August of 1994, she married Arnold (“Stub”) Johnson and they had many happy years together, dancing and traveling, before that became too great a challenge. Through Stub, Anne enjoyed getting to know his daughter and son-in-law, Diana and Marcus Ingle (Portland, OR), and their children Danika (Parrish Wiggins) and their two sons of Maryland, Aaron and wife Michelle and their two sons of Oregon, and Aric and wife Mickey with their two sons and one daughter of Maryland. Anne was preceded in death by her parents and her first husband Odd Valum. Anne is survived by her five children, Lee Baxter of Seattle, son David and daughter Laurie, and one grandchild; Lynn and Doug Starcher; Don and Marie (Zender) Valum and daughter Amy (Mark Carter), sons Bernie (Kelly), Ben (Colette) and Pete, and five grandchildren; and Mary Beth and Ed Teigrob and son Paul (Jennifer) and two grandchildren, all of Bellingham, and daughter Rachel (James Willis) of Louisville, Kentucky, and their five children; and Arne and Anne Marie of Mission Viejo, California and their two children, Blake and Sabrina. A memorial service and celebration of Anne’s life will be held at Good News Fellowship church on Axton Road, Ferndale, on January 24 at 2 p.m.

Beverly Anne Valum Johnson

September 15, 1920 - January 1, 2015