Beverly A. Sumption

A memorial service for Beverly Sumption will be held Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Indherred Lutheran Church just north of Starbuck. Visitation will be held at the church for one hour preceding the service. Inurnment will follow the service in the church cemetery. 

Beverly Ann Swanson was born in Minneota, Minnesota on August 8, 1928, to John and Hilda (Hansen) Swanson. She graduated from Minneota High School and married her high school sweetheart, James Sumption, in 1946. The couple moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota while Jim attended Augustana College. After college, they moved to St. Paul where Jim studied at Luther Seminary. It was there that the Sumption family grew to include four children, David, Linda, Faith and Mark. Jim took his first pastoral call at a two-point parish in Kenneth, a small town in southern Minnesota. 

The Sumption family moved several times when Pastor Jim accepted calls to Crookston, New Ulm, Starbuck, Grove City and Boyd before retiring from the ministry in 1978. The family was blessed with twins, Judy and Janis, in Crookston in 1956 and Leah Marie was born in New Ulm in 1961. Beverly often commented that moving meant leaving friends in one community but said that there were always new friends and new joys ahead. She appreciated the family’s network of friends across Minnesota and was grateful that their kids had opportunities to enjoy reunions with their old pals. 

As their nest emptied, Beverly fulfilled her dream of becoming a nurse. She took classes at Wilmar Technical School and graduated in 1974 as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). She worked at various hospitals in several communities, including the Wilmar State Hospital and the Starbuck Hospital. During that career, she baptized premature babies and held the hands of the sick and dying. Her passion for others was evident in her gentle manner and sincere concern. 

Beverly was an avid knitter and made sweaters, afghans, hats and mittens, the majority of which she gave to relatives and friends. She once commented that her special design stitches were just a touch of love. Those more serene activities were complemented by Beverly’s love of music, film, and dance. She especially enjoyed recordings of American Musical Theater classics. In her retirement days, she often shared favorite movies with family members to end a day of outdoor gardening and country walks near their beloved ‘Golden Pond.’ Beverly had a strong faith and looked forward to new and better days, even when hard times came. She found real joy in life and knew that there would always be room for more.

Beverly died Friday, August 29, 2025 at the Minnewaska Lutheran Home in Starbuck. She was 97 years old.

Beverly was preceded in death by her parents and four siblings, her husband and three-year-old daughter, Leah Marie. She is survived by two sons: David (Angelina) Sumption of Playa Del Rey, California and Mark (Sally) Sumption of Tomahawk, Wisconsin; four daughters: Linda Sumption of Portales, New Mexico; Faith (Paul) Anderson, Starbuck; Judy Sumption and Janis Sumption, both of Alexandria. Ten grandchildren survive along with over 30 great-grandchildren.