Charlie Jeanne Klumpp

Charlie Jeanne Klumpp

Carmel, IN, age 71, passed on December 16th during surgery at St. Vincent Hospital. She was born on April 1, 1944 in Canton, OH to William and Clara Stettner.  Charlie was a wife, mother, and grandmother. She had a passion for learning and loved to read. She instilled in her children and grandchildren that if you were going to do something, you invested the research and the time and effort to do it right - that was true for Christmas sugar cookies, school papers, or selecting the perfect gift. Charlie attended Indiana University's Kelly School of Business, from which she graduated summa cum laude. At IU, she became a member of Alpha Phi, Beta Tau chapter. She taught business law and accounting at Ivy Tech, and then worked for Purdue University for 26 years. She was president of MCK Services, Inc. for 17 years and worked countless hours maintaining the books and consulting on operations. She was a member of IU Alumni Association, Purdue Alumni Association, Beta Gamma Sigma National Accounting Honorary and Daughters of the American Revolution.  Although she worked at Purdue, and her children attended Purdue for undergraduate work, you could spot her in the Boilermaker stands from across the field because she insisted on wearing her bright red pea coat, and if weather permitted, a bright red hat. She cheered for Purdue every game with the exception of the Bucket game. And, although she was sitting in the middle of Boilermakers in the stands and was cheering for IU during the Bucket games, nobody had a problem with it - she was lovable this woman. And, she could cook like nobody's business. And, when she cooked, it was butter and sour cream. Margarine didn't make it to her kitchen unless you were able to sneak it in. And, her pies were legendary - could have been the "bit" of vodka in the crusts. Tailgating was a place where all were welcome, all were greeted with a mom hug, and left well fed. Christmas dinners were something else. The preparation seemed something close to planning the Normandy Landing. If votes for the main course choice were divided, she made both. In recent years she made Mongolian Beef and Chicken Kiev both - and they were better than any you could get anywhere. Charlie was a brilliant gardener too. Her yard contained 250 rose bushes and 220 hostas. As kids, we would joke that everything that entered Charlie's garden reached record size - because the bumblebees and spiders that came out of that garden belonged in a zoo. Mom was a giver. Christmas was a very special time for her, and definitely a time for carefully considering others and not leaving a single person out from her thoughtfulness. Our house had a minimum of four Christmas trees, and Christmas morning was a warm delicious breakfast, all presents wrapped in Santa paper (solid red paper - sometimes one gift on the roof that Santa dropped), and an appreciation for family and time together not left unexpressed.

Charlie has always been described as a lady, kind, generous, smart, beautiful and loving.  Mom was a very pretty woman with quick wit and a desire to help others and an endless love for her husband Mike. The last thing we heard mom say was, "I love you Michael." She wanted us to be positive, to appreciate each day, to be kind to others, to treat ourselves and others with respect, to value each and every beautiful moment no matter how small and not let the stress of today's world make us impatient with others and less happy in general.

So, Mom, in your honor, we are each going to work to cherish each moment. And, we are going to continue to be there for each other - now more than ever. And, we are going to cook, and love, and learn, and live like you are watching - because we know you are. You graced us with your love and caring. We love you with all we are. Charlie is survived by husband, Michael Klumpp, to whom she was married for 52 years; daughter, Jennifer Anne (Christopher) Bouwkamp; daughter, Jessica Klumpp; and grandchildren, Keila, Caleb, Keegan, and Gracie.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Charlie's birthday, April 1, 2016, location to be announced at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Earthjustice at Earthjustice.org and Wildcat Creek Wildlife Center at Wildcatwildlifecenter.org.