Wellford Fund established at BV library

In April, Carroll County Lin Wellford died in a tragic accident. On Sept. 26, the Berryville Library announced that her sister, Robin Greeson, has established a memorial fund in her name.

Lin Wellford

The Berryville Library Legacy Project has set a goal of $10,000, which would allow Lin and her husband, Klaus Kupfersberger, to be featured in pictures on the end panel of one of the bookshelves in the main atrium of the new Berryville library, ensuring that their legacy in Carroll County lives on.

Wellford always had a passion for the outdoors and for reading. Greeson recalled their mother taking them both to the local library at an early age. Wellford, a fast reader, would read all her books before their mother allowed them to return to the library. So that she wouldn’t run out of things to read, Lin began checking out only “big, fat books,” giving her plenty to read.

An avid lover of the outdoors, Wellford would times sit in a lawn chair outside and read her books. One day, while lying on a beach towel in her back yard, she noticed a snake’s head slither under her towel. She used her “big, fat book” to stun it. Her father then came out and “finished” the job on the venomous coral snake. Greeson said her sister loved to remind the family how, in her own words, “that big, fat book saved my life!”

“Because of my sister’s avid passion for reading and learning, our family is contributing the first $5,000 to establish the Lin Wellford Memorial Fund,” Greeson said. “We are saddened that Lin’s life was tragically cut short before she could see the new library built. We wanted to give to this worthwhile community project in her memory in hopes others will remember her in this way and that her legacy and passion for reading can continue for generations to come.”

Wellford, the second daughter of five, she spent her early years in Tennessee and Florida. The daughter of an engineer and a sculptor, she continually immersed herself in knowledge, spending countless hours on her father’s sailboat in the bay or paddling around a small lake behind their family home.

While living in Miami, she married her best friend, Klaus Kupfersberger, and in 1975 had their first daughter, Skye. After the birth of their second daughter, Erika, they took a visit to the Ozarks and were convinced they wanted to relocate and make Green Forest their home.

Lin and Klaus opened a bakery in Green Forest called The Gingerbread Man, the first of the three bakeries they would eventually run in Carroll County, and they built their home in the woods nearby. It was to be their home for the rest of their married lives, and they finished it not long before the birth of their third daughter, Kira. Lin set the stone pavers of the entryway herself. It was the kind of challenge she relished.

Rocks were another passion of Lin’s. She painted her first rock on a whim and a hobby turned into a side-hustle and then a full-time job. Rock hunting was a family activity, and Osage Creek was the typical spot. Hours were spent on that river every summer, canoeing, tubing, floating, and looking for rocks. Lin published her first book about rock painting in 1994, and it became a bestseller, becoming an early example of a new industry of how-to books about arts and crafts. She promoted her books in videos and on national television; they were translated into dozens of languages. Eventually, she founded Art-Stone Press and began publishing and promoting her work herself.

After she retired, any free time that wasn’t spent caring for her mother, Nancy Wellford, or kayaking on the river with friends was spent planning, writing, creating, or volunteering. She was an avid activist for the Buffalo River and local animal shelters, volunteering several days a week at the Good Shepherd Doggy Thrift Store in honor of her daughter, Erika.

In partnership with Dr. Nancy Haller and Carol Bitting, Lin went to court to protect the Buffalo River from animal waste pollution. She was very active with the Kings River Watershed Partnership, serving on its board since 2010. She was one of several working hard on getting a new organization, the Arkansas Ozarks Waterkeepers, established when she died.

She was very active in the Green Forest United Methodist Church, especially Vacation Bible School, and a long-time Carroll County Library supporter serving on several of the library boards. Lin also co-created and organized the annual literary festival Books in Bloom, bringing bestselling authors to the Ozarks. Lin donated her art, time, expertise, sweat, and tears to the betterment of others and the environment.

For those who would like to contribute to the Lin Wellford Memorial Fund at the Berryville Library, checks may be made payable to the Friends of the Berryville Library, 104 Spring Street; Berryville, AR 72616. Secure donations may be made online at berryvillelibrary. org/building.

The Friends of the Berryville Library is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit , and all donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law.

Planned gifts, pledges of any amount, and outright cash gifts are all accepted and welcomed.

For more information on cash gifts, pledges, or the Berryville Library Legacy Project contact Kristy Noble-Tesch at 870-4232170. For more information on planned giving opportunities, contact Janell Robertson at the Carroll County Community Foundation.