Teresa "Terri" Lumpkins, age 70, resident of Ridgefield, Washington and former resident of Columbus, passed away on February 27, 2018. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Sunday, September 2, 2018, 3 p.m. in the Mill Room of Striffler-Hamby, Columbus, with a reception to follow Private inurnment is scheduled at Parkhill Cemetery at a later date.
Terri, daughter of the late Roy and Edna Lumpkins, was born January 16, 1948 in Nagoya, Japan. Her dad was stationed there after WWI as a part of the military working to aid in the rebuilding of occupied Japan. After her Dad retired from the Army, our family stayed in Columbus as her mother was from the Macon, Georgia area, and her dad was from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. She grew up in Columbus, and graduated from Columbus High School in 1965. After high school, she completed a degree in Mathematics at Auburn University in 1969. She remained a die-hard Tiger fan throughout her life, and especially loved it when they managed to beat Alabama a few times over the last decade. Her sister in law went to Alabama and there was always a little family rivalry going on. After graduating from Auburn, she and two friends who were classmates from Auburn, (Shari from Alabama and Carol from Florida), se off on an exciting journey traveling throughout Europe, and eventually landing jobs in Switzerland where they lived and worked for about a year. They remained close friends throughout their lives, with Terri serving as godparent to one of Carol's children and returning to Switzerland to attend his wedding several years before her death. Terri was also able to spend more time with Shari after Terri moved to Pacific Northwest because Shari had settled in Victoria, BC after returning from Europe, where she met her husband and enjoyed a successful career as a speech and hearing pathologist.
When Terri returned home from Europe, she obtained a teaching certificate and took a job teaching high school mathematics at M.D. Collins High School in College Park, Georgia. But, she had been bitten by the travel bug, and an opportunity to work for Delta (and traveling for a living) took her away from teaching. Terri joined Delta as a flight attendant in 1973, and started flying domestically based out of Atlanta. A few years later, Terri moved to Chicago where she gained more seniority and could get routes flying to Europe and other countries. While she lived in Chicago, Terri took up sailing and bought a small sailboat that she enjoyed taking out on Lake Michigan when weather permitted. After Delta acquired Western Airlines in the mid-80's, Terri saw the chance to fly to the Orient, and so she began studying Japanese and Korean and requested a transfer to Portland. That proved to be one of the happiest decisions of her life. Not only was she able to fly choice routes to Japan and Korea, but she was able to live in the part of the country that she loved most. She lived in Lake Oswego, Oregon before moving over the state line to Ridgefield, Washington.
Although she eventually had to give up snow skiing due to a knee injury, Terri loved living close to the beautiful snow covered mountains and surrounding rivers, lakes, sounds, and oceans of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She her niece got engaged to a Georgia boy and they decided to move back to Atlanta after spending 10 years in Seattle, Terri was asked to consider moving back down to the south. She didn't hesitate to decline the invitation, making clear she loved the northwest and it was now her permanent home. That area of the country is where she forged treasured and lasting friendships with a community of dear neighbors, sustained life-long friends, as well as a wide net of Delta colleagues. Even before she retired from Delta, Terri had begun investing in her new home by giving tireless years of service to her neighborhood community, serving in several board positions for the Vista Terrace Community Homeowners Association. After she did retire from the airlines, Terri became an avid volunteer, giving many hours of service in leadership positions at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital and at the Portland Airport. She also added joy to her life through adopting, rescuing, and caring for special needs fur babies, two of whom were diabetic and required daily insulin injections.
First took on Stormin' Norman, a spunky MinPin that Terri had given to her Dad before he passed away; next she adopted Alley McBeal, a sweet and adorable standard Chihuahua that her sister-in-law Rosemary, gave to Terri when she retired; then when Alley passed away somewhat suddenly, Terri rescued Min-a gentle little red MinPin/Chihuahua mix, also diabetic, whose elderly owner had passed away; and finally Terri adopted Chica, a spirited white Terrier mix.
Terri is survived by her brother, David Lumpkins, and wife Rosemary of Cumming, Georgia; her niece, Amanda Lumpkins Campbell, and her husband Kyle of Buford, Georgia; her nephew, Benjamin Lumpkins of Dunwoody, Georgia; and her beloved dog, Chica, also residing in Dunwoody, Georgia.
Terri’s life will be remembered as a loving, generous, and devoted sister, aunt, friend, and servant that touched many lives here and abroad.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18