Beatrice Springer

Each life is a canvas - waiting to be covered by the colors of our experiences. Beatrice Ann Springer's canvas was a wonderful work of art. Family and friends were the frame, surrounding 76 years of precious memories splashed across the surface - the red of the family barn, the varied colors of the stained glass pieces formed by her and her husband, the blue of Lake Michigan. B. A. Springer was a masterpiece.

In the 1920's, the art world was experiencing the realism of Grant Wood, the beauty of Georgia O'Keefe, and the landscapes of N.C. Wyeth. For James and Helen (Kroll) Barbour, it was the perfect time to raise a daughter who would become a renowned artist in her own right.

Ann was born on September 25, 1928 in Springfield, Massachusetts. B.A., along with her older brother, James Jr., often played in the barn in back of their house. The two would put on plays for the neighborhood, an early sign of B.A.'s artistic talents. Jim and B.A. were also "encouraged" to take piano lessons and ballroom dancing lessons from a neighbor. Her father, or "Bubba" as he was called, worked for Westinghouse, and when B.A. was 8 years old, the family moved to Lima, Ohio. The muddy goo of Hog Creek was another favorite place to play. With its clay bottom, it was the perfect place to get dirty and have fun. The family pet, a Scottish terrier named Mack, sometimes joined them. If her brother broke any rules, little sister B.A. went tattling to mother. Some summers were spent back in Massachusetts visiting her aunt and uncle, Karen and Bill Lamb. It was Uncle Bill who introduced B.A. to the joys of being near the water, and taught her how to sail on the Connecticut River.

B.A. attended school in Lima, and graduated from Shawnee High School in 1946. She then enrolled at Bowling Green State University, where she studied English and Art. With her beauty and warm personality, B.A. was a natural to be chosen as the 1949 May Queen, and in 1950, the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi. In her scrapbook, the young coed wrote "It was my most exciting evening." As a sophomore, B.A. was initiated into the Delta Gamma Sorority on November 20, 1948. She received her Bachelor's Degree in English and Art upon graduation, June 9, 1950.

With degree in hand, B.A. began working as an artist, designing for Lima Neon, a sign company in Lima. (In later years she would work at an arts and crafts shop in St. Joseph, Michigan.) One of her clients, having ordered a Budweiser sign, offered to fix B.A. up on a blind date with a young gentleman who sold them business forms. The young man's name was Burch Hamilton Springer. Burch arrived after work at the sign company in a 1950 Ford. It was a balmy summer evening and the two went to a movie in Lima. Over the next nine months, B.A. and Burch continued to date. Never really asking her to marry him, Burch said they just sort of "edged up to it."

The wedding took place on October 4, 1952 in the Presbyterian Church of Lima. The happy couple honeymooned in the White Mountains of New York and then went on to visit relatives in Northampton, Massachusetts. B.A. was anxious for everyone to meet her new husband.

B.A. and Burch were blessed with two beautiful children, son Bruce and daughter Gibby. B.A. loved being a mother and was very involved in her children's activities, especially the school P.T.A. She remembered how much fun it was to have a dog around, so Roxanne the beagle soon joined the family. Family vacations were something to look forward to, and they often visited her family on the East Coast.

B.A. and her family stayed in Lima until Burch began working for IBM in sales. In 1955 they moved to South Bend, Indiana. Burch had customers in the Stevensville, Michigan area and after several trips there, was drawn to a particular lot in one of the neighborhoods. In 1967, this lot became the site of their new home, a home they still occupied.

Art had always been B.A.'s greatest passion and she expressed herself through many different mediums. She loved to draw, and worked in ink, watercolors, pastels and oils. She and Burch even did stained glass together. They both loved the beach and would go to Douglas and Saugatuck to spend the day. She took trips up the coast to get inspiration for her paintings. Cape Cod, with its quaint cottages and fishing boats, can be seen in many of her works. Her favorite artists were Robert Hoffman - she took workshops with him in Indiana - and Phyllis Rhoades. An accomplished artist, B.A.'s work has been on display at a Women's Gallery at the Century Center in South Bend, at By Design in New Buffalo, and at Gallery 344 in Kalamazoo. The Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph was one of B.A.'s favorite places, and she volunteered many hours there.

B.A. had other interests along with her art. She liked to garden, especially the weed-pulling part, traveling - trips to Europe - and reading murder mysteries, which always made Burch a little nervous! She played the piano and had recently taught herself to play the folk harp.

Every place was special to B.A., but some of her favorites were Cape Cod, Saugatuck, Harbor Springs, the art fair on the bluff in St. Joseph, and her grandparents' home in Northampton. The architecture and flowers of St. Augustine, Florida and Savannah, Georgia also inspired many of her paintings.

Her three grandchildren were a special blessing to B.A. and she loved them unconditionally. With her love of family and her love of life, Beatrice Ann Springer was the heart and soul of her family. How fortunate they are to have her memory to brighten their lives.

Beatrice Ann Springer, of Stevensville, died on July 16, 2005. Her family includes her husband, Burch Springer; her children Bruce (Carla) Springer of Rockford, MI, and Gibby (Greg) Lozeau of Kalamazoo; three grandchildren: Jake Stanton, Sarah Lozeau and Cam Lozeau; brother James (Jean) Barbour of Pawcatuck, Connecticut and his children and their families, 2 cousins: Margaret Mitchell of Houston and Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi; and best friend Lois Conrad of Houston.

Visitation will be at the Benton Harbor Fairplain Presbyterian Church on Tuesday from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. The funeral service will take place at the church on Wednesday at 10:30 AM, with the Rev. Dr. John L. Munson officiating. Please visit B.A.'s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory, sign the guest book, or make a memorial donation to Hospice at Home, Inc., or the Krasl Art Center.