of Chelsea, Michigan, formerly of Albion, Michigan, passed away on Friday, December 26, 2025, at Silver Maples of Chelsea, at the age of 92. She was known throughout her life for her kindness and compassion, her dedication to family and community, her love of life and love of music, her wit, her endless optimism, and perhaps most of all, her smile.
Bev was born February 13, 1933, in Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of Alvin Floyd and Mary Ethelene (Frye) Hill. Her parents were educators in the public schools in Fairmont and Frankfort, Illinois, where she and her younger siblings, Marnita and Bob, attended primary and secondary school. She was a good student and enjoyed playing clarinet in the band from the time she was in grade school. She also sang in a quartet with three of her friends.
After graduating from high school, Bev attended the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where she majored in elementary education. During her college years, she continued playing clarinet in the university marching band. She was also active in the campus Wesley Foundation, and there she met a Ph.D. student named John “Jack” Crump, the love of her life. Her parents wouldn’t allow her to marry until she finished college, so she and Jack married in Urbana, Illinois, on June 19, 1955, the day after her graduation.
The following year Bev started teaching in a local elementary school and had a class of children she truly loved. She would likely have continued teaching indefinitely, but when her first child, a son, was born in 1956, she elected to stay home with him. Jack finished his doctoral degree the same year.
The years that followed brought a number of changes to the couple’s life: Bev and Jack moved to Midland, Michigan, with their baby son after Jack obtained a position as a research chemist at Dow Chemical Company. Midland was a family-friendly community, and Bev enjoyed spending time with other young mothers as her family grew with the addition of two daughters in 1958 and 1960. Bev also took classes at the community center in Midland, and both she and Jack became involved in the United Methodist Church.
In 1962, Bev and her family moved to Albion, Michigan, when Jack was hired by Albion College as a chemistry professor. Their new home had a very large yard that was a magnet for children in the neighborhood. Jack loved teaching, and Bev loved having all the children around. In 1965, their third daughter was born. During this period, Bev and Jack were also busy chaperoning college events and having students in the family home. Bev became active in the First United Methodist Church in Albion, and she and some other mothers started the Albion Methodist Cooperative Nursery. She volunteered for causes such as the March of Dimes, and led Camp Fire Girls groups for all three daughters.
For several years, beginning in the early 70s, Bev served as the team coordinator and dean of the West Michigan Conference Schools of Christian Mission. She also worked as the executive director of the Tanawida Council of Camp Fire in Albion. In 1984 she began volunteering with the Albion–Marshall Literacy Council. She spent most of the 1990s working several part-time jobs, including serving as the executive secretary of the Albion Civic Foundation. Upon her retirement in 1998, Albion honored her with the prestigious Athena Leadership Award, which recognizes outstanding professionals in the community and those who create leadership opportunities for women. The same year she was selected to serve as the grand marshal of Albion’s annual Festival of the Forks parade.
Bev and Jack loved to travel. In addition to camping trips and cross-country drives to California to visit Jack’s family, they spent a summer in Nova Scotia, a year in the Netherlands, and a year in India. They spent many hours and drove many miles tracing their family roots, a passion they shared throughout their married life. They shared a deep love of music as well and cultivated that love in their children. On the cross-country drives they took as a family, Bev would frequently encourage everyone to sing, often in rounds. She and Jack enjoyed singing together too and were founding members of the choir at the Silver Maples retirement community. They held season tickets to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Detroit Symphony, and the Michigan Opera Theater for over 20 years. In 1998 they had the thrill of a lifetime when they attended Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love at LaScala Opera House in Milan.
Bev and Jack moved to Silver Maples of Chelsea in 2009, and Bev was a proud resident there for nearly 17 years. They were both very engaged in the Silver Maples community, serving on committees, attending a wide variety of activities, and making new friends with staff and other residents. They also joined the First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor where their daughter Nancy serves as pastor.
Bev is survived by her children: Stephen (Diana) Crump of Sanford, Florida; Becky (Paul Gottschalk) Crump of Chelsea; Sandra (Paul Rardin) Crump of Havertown, Pennsylvania; and Rev. Nancy Lynn of Ann Arbor; her grandchildren: Emmett Lynn Howard, and Lily and Violet Crump; and her nieces and nephews: Mike Spiess, Greg Scott, Julie Cohen, Cindy Atchley, Kristen Hill, Christina Scott, and David Hill.
A memorial service will be held at Silver Maples of Chelsea on March 19, 2026 at 2pm, with Rev. Nancy Lynn officiating. Interment will take place at a later date at Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor near Jack, Ron and Marnita (Hill) Scott, and Bob and Lynn Hill. Memorial contributions may be made to the Albion Community Foundation Beverley Hill Crump Fund (https://albionfoundation.org/donate/), the University of Illinois Wesley Foundation (https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z87J/campaign/C-1383A) or the Silver Maples Educated Generations Childcare Assistance Program (https://silvermaples.org/wp-content/uploads/SM-Development-2024-Impact-Report_web.pdf please see pp. 23-24). Arrangements were entrusted to Cole Funeral Chapel, Chelsea.
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