Barbara Plummer

Barbara Plummer nee Bowen, 80, passed away peacefully on March 20th after a lengthy struggle with pneumonia and cancer-related complications. It was the first day of Spring. She was a mother, a wife, an active supporter of charitable organizations and, for a time, she was a local television personality. And that is the order of importance she would have placed on the various roles she filled in her remarkable life. Most people would know her as Miss Barbara, the enthusiastic host of WEWS Channel 5's Romper Room. From 1958 to 1972 children across Cleveland tuned in daily to learn their Do-Bees and their Don't Bees, to have fun, and maybe - just maybe - have Miss Barbara see them through her Magic Mirror and say their names out loud on television. But it was her own family; daughter, Kathryn Plummer Collins now of Lyndhurst; son, Stephen Plummer of Astor, FL; and Gordon Plummer, her husband of nearly 60 years who were first and foremost. Born in Norwalk, OH, in 1930, she was very traditional in her views of what type of person a woman should be. She graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. While still at Wellesley, she was introduced to and married Gordon Plummer in 1951. He had finished a stint in the Air Force and a degree at Dartmouth College, and was working in nearby Dudley, MA. Within a few years, Barbara had two children and moved back to Ohio when her husband took a job with TRW. She would live the rest of her life in South Euclid. It probably would have been a beautifully normal life if she had not heard, in April 1958, that WEWS was advertising for candidates to host their version of the syndicated television show, Romper Room. She loved to say that she went for an interview only because she was curious to see a television studio. Whatever her motivation was, she competed with 90 other women for the position and was selected. After asking her husband if it was "OK", she began a television career that would eventually have middle-aged baby-boomers coming up to her in the grocery story to ask, "Are you Miss Barbara? I loved Romper Room, but how come you never said my name?" The show "aired" for 13 years and she daily guided a half dozen preschoolers through a high-energy half hour of exercises, games, stories, lessons and always a look through the Magic Mirror to see the children watching at home. In many ways, Barbara Plummer was a pioneer, along with Dorothy Fuldheim, Paige Palmer and others, among women in television. Her family still came first, however, and so she arranged her schedule which eventually also included doing TV weather, live commercials and special appearances so that she could still be Mom to her own children when they got home from school in the afternoon. But all good things come to an end and the last episode of Cleveland's Romper Room was filmed on New Year's Eve in 1971. Miss Barbara, now simply Mrs. Plummer, immediately began looking for another outlet for her boundless energy. Barbara's passion for helping others became directed towards charitable and cultural organizations including the Western Reserve Historical Society where, among other things, she edited the voluminous catalog for their annual antique show for many years. She was devoted to Children's Guild, a women's group that raises money to support local child-serving organizations. She has served as the group's president and just this year was co-chair of Creations, their annual fund-raising bazaar. She was a president of the Wellesley Club of Cleveland, a founding member of the Women's Committee for the Cleveland Playhouse, and enjoyed attending meetings of the Intown and American Furniture Clubs . She has also served on the Altar Guilds at several Episcopal churches in the area, including St. Paul's in Cleveland Heights, where she worshipped in recent years. In her "spare time," Barbara Plummer was an avid gardener, making the most her small South Euclid yard, which was lush with color and vibrant scents every summer. She was a member of several garden clubs including, most recently Four Corners Garden Club. She not only loved fresh flowers and was skilled at arranging them, but she also dried flowers and herbs, making beautiful arrangements and wreaths. She often gave talks to community groups about the art of flower drying and arranging. Her other hobby was paper dolls, hand-drawing and coloring them and collecting those made by others. Her frequent talks on this unique subject were always very popular. Being a breast cancer survivor since 1978, Barbara Plummer was also an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program. She would need to show her strength and courage again in 1996, when she contracted lung cancer and had to undergo surgery to remove part of her right lung. With strong will and a love for all the treasures that life has to offer, she lived the last 14 years of her life the way she always lived: actively, vitally, giving of herself to her husband and family, neighbors, and community. She was always interested and eager for the next challenge, and looking forward to the next Spring, when her garden would be in full bloom again. From small-town Ohio girl, to Wellesley graduate, to Cleveland wife, mother, and television personality, to civic volunteer and grandmother, Barbara Bowen Plummer was a formidable woman. One who will be dearly missed by those she leaves behind. Besides her husband and children, she also leaves two grandchildren, Katherine Collins of Alexandria, VA, and Gordon Collins a student at University of Pittsburgh, and her brother, Stephen Bowen of Huron, OH. The family prefers that those who wish may make contributions in her name to the American Cancer Society, 10501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106; Children's Guild, c/o Julie Corcoran, 519 Spicebush Lane, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 or The Western Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106. Funeral Services will be held Friday, March 26th at 4 PM in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Hts., OH, 44106. FRIENDS MAY CALL AT BROWN-FORWARD, 17022 CHAGRIN BLVD., SHAKER HTS., OH, THURSDAY, MARCH 25TH FROM 5-7 PM. BROWN-FORWARD SERVICE 216 752-1200


PDF Printable Version