Beverly Anne Chapin

Beverly Anne Bacon Winfrey Chapin passed away on Saturday February 8th at Hearthstone Village Kootenai, Idaho, just a few miles from her home in Sandpoint. She was survived by her husband and five of her six children. Beverly was born January 27th 1934, in Spokane WA to John and Wanda Bacon and just celebrated her 80th birthday at home with her husband of 48 years Earl A. Chapin. Beverly grew up in Spirit Lake and graduated Valedictorian in 1952 from the high school there and was granted a scholarship to North Idaho Junior College. In September of that same year she married Lyman Winfrey of Blanchard Idaho. David L Winfrey her 1st child was born in July of 1953. They built a home in Spirit Lake and she went to NIJC and earned an associate degree in teaching. Bev taught 1st and 2nd grade in Rathdrum and Spirit Lake in 1960 and 61 where she earned $3000 per year. In 1962 she lost her husband and newly born daughter Karen in an auto accident on the way to the hospital to deliver the baby. Beverly also sustained injuries. After healing from the accident she went back to school at EWSU and earned a bachelor of education degree and moved to Pomeroy WA where she taught 1st and 2nd grade and continued her education by extension courses from WSU. She returned to being a full time student at WSU where she earned a Master’s degree in counseling in August of 1966. In the fall of that year she became the counselor for Hunt Jr High in Tacoma WA. March 18th of 1967 she married Earl A Chapin who also graduated from Spirit Lake an few years earlier than Bev and lived in Sandpoint. Earl brought three more children into Bev's life. Carol, Cliff, Kenny. She quickly became a loving mother to all of them. In 1968 she became counselor at Priest River High School. She stayed on at priest River until 1975 when she transferred to Sandpoint High School as counselor until she retired in 1999 after 32 years with Bonner County School District. While married to Earl, Bev had many adventures. In 1972 they took a 30-day trip to England, Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Several trips to Mexico and drove throughout the entire country collecting American antiques and artifacts. As a couple they took up flying and Bev made her 1st solo flight in a Cessna 150 in 1974. They went back to the factory bought a new Cessna 172 and flew it back home to Sandpoint the first of many cross-country airplane trips. On one such trip they took turns flying their new Cessna to Alaska and back on a 10-day trip to point Barrow and Bev landed the plane on the windblown runway a difficult task for any experienced pilot. Bev actually logged more hours than her husband on that trip. She was an outdoorswoman too. They spent many of their days hiking into Mountain Lakes, camping and fishing in the streams and lakes of north Idaho. In 1985 Bev and Earl took another extended trip where they toured Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Barbra Golden Bev's sister, and Bev, took a 10 day trip to Japan to visit a foreign exchange student that had lived with The Golden’s in Spokane. The sisters also toured Ireland and England together. In February of 1989 Bev and Earl adopted another daughter, Marsha, and granddaughter, Serina. They, and their families, have been an intimate part of Bev's family ever since. After retirement Bev spent time in her garden and became a master gardener, continued to hike and fish nearly every day and scoured the countryside for antiques. May of 2003 Bev began showing early signs of Alzheimer’s. That didn't slow her down much the next year she and her husband took a cruse down the Mexican Rivera. She spent as much time as she could with her five children and 20 grandchildren. She will be laid to rest in Spirit Lake next to Lyman and Karen Winfrey. A celebration of her life will be held at Sandpoint Community Hall from 2PM until 5PM on Saturday February 15th. All who knew her please come. Interment will be in the Spirit Lake Cemetery Spirit Lake, Idaho