Beverly Blahnik

Beverly Jean Barks Muma Blahnik passed away January 8, 2019.

I was born on December 5, 1927 at home in Belden, Nebraska. A small village on highway 20 about 50 miles west of the Missouri river and 50 miles south of the Missouri river. Belden had a school at that time and I later attended Morningside College in Sioux City and graduated in 1949.

A group of us were recruited by the T. S. Martin Department store for what they called their Junior Executive Training program. I ended up working in the decorating studio and the Better Homes and Gardens Home Planning Center. The war was over and people were again building houses. We sold blueprints and helped people plan their new home.

I married Ralph Edward Muma in 1952. Tragically five years later he was killed in a mid-air collision with a fighter jet training with the Iowa National Guard. I was left with Kristin, who was almost three, and Lauren, who was born six months after their daddy was killed.
Teaching seemed a better alternative for a mother with children, so I taught art in elementary schools beginning in 1960. I loved it.
A decade followed doing radio and television commercials for the Wells Blue Bunny company who would later become a nationwide dealer of ice-cream and other dairy products. I loved that too.

My father, Earl Barks, lived in Belden with my mother Mildred, and once apologized to me, chuckling, "I used to say how can Beverly ever support herself if she has to, with a major in speech and minor in art." And look, eight years later we had moved to Cedar Falls which enabled me to get my graduate degree, and then to Madison which provided me with my own classroom and a kiln. I loved that too.

In 1976 I married my best friend, Arnold L Blahnik who tragically died of an apparent heart attack in 1989; the year that we both retired.
I joined PLATO sometime after that, attending a Reminiscent writing class. The first time I read before the class was scary, but that soon faded. I said I would keep writing until I could spell "Reminiscent" without my spell checker. It never happened. I have over 100 stories which some people regard as a memoir; I just call them stories.
I was able to do a lot of traveling, much of it with my old college roommate, Korky. Elder Hostel was perfect for that.

I was preceded in death, by my mother and father, brother Bruce and his wife Nonie, husband Eddie and husband Arnie and my beloved daughter Kristin. I am survived by my daughter Lauren. I am survived by my daughter, Lauren Muma; my grandchildren, Tiffany Remington Bell, Tia Remington Bell (Alex Connor), and Roman LeClercq; my niece Janet O'Brien (Tom) and her children, Kelsey (Derek), Megan and Scott; and my nephew, Billy Barks.

So, thank you to my daughter Lauren, PLATO, Pinnacle, and so many mentors that have permitted me to own my own life. Lots of that time "perfect in every way." Please share a memory.


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