Beverly Annette Tippett

Beverly Annette Tippett was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee to Kenneth and Myrtice (Beasley) Grossklaus and grew up in Flint, Michigan. She graduated from Flint Southwestern High School and the University of Michigan–Flint with a degree in Education. She made lifelong friends in her neighborhood, school, and her square-dancing club. Making friends was something that came easily.

She began her career teaching 2nd grade in Flint. She later moved to Fenton to raise her daughters. She loved her neighbors on Oregon Circle and Jeffers Lane. Bev served as a room mother at State Road Elementary, and helped launch the first State Road Craft Show. Deeply creative and artistic, she became a folk artist with her best friend Toadie Middleton. Depending on the day, they were either Thelma & Louise or Lucy & Ethel, and their cross-country folk-art adventures hauling lamps and dolls are still part of family legend.

Bev was our wonderful “Queen Mum”, a great friend to many, a maker of thoughtful homemade gifts, a lover of Celtic and folk music, an excellent cook and hostess, and someone who took real joy in decorating her home for the holidays (all of them!).

She was a longtime member of the Dibbleville Questers, helping lead projects such as the building of the Fenton Gazebo, antique shows, and historic home tours. She loved family summers in Rehoboth Beach, cheering at Highland Games, and her many years as an Ambassadors parent (and later, grandparent).

In her second era, she served as Director of the Genesee County AmeriCorps Program and later as a Program Officer for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. Community involvement was simply part of her DNA — Fenton Village Players, Fenton Historical Society, AJ Phillips Museum Board, Fenton Ghost Walk (co-founder), Fenton’s 150th and 175th celebrations, Fenton First Presbyterian Church (Elder), Fenton Arts and Culture Commission, Wishing Well Theatre, and just about any board that needed someone who would actually get things done.

More recently, she enjoyed weekly coffee with friends, girls’ nights on the deck, and thrifting trips with her special friend Donna Lloyd. Her Etsy shop kept her busy, and her ability to spot a valuable “treasure” from across an estate sale remained unmatched.

Her greatest joy for the past 30 years was being Nana to the Grand 5. Camp Nana was a highlight of their childhoods, and she rarely missed a play, concert, or game. If you were lucky enough to be on her Christmas-card list, you saw clearly how proud she was of each of them. Even when distance made visits less frequent, she stayed close through regular calls and texts — and they loved her fiercely. She was delighted that so many of their friends called her Nana, too.

Bev was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her daughters Holly (John) Hodgkin and Jennifer (Michael) Herrmann; grandchildren Margaret (Maggie), Colin, and Skye Hodgkin, and Emily and Andrew Herrmann; brother Jeffrey Grossklaus; niece Hope Grossklaus; and more dear friends than can be counted. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to the Fenton Historical Society.