Woman who helped teach Bellingham students the value of nutrition dies in Montana crash
A former Bellingham resident who was a member of the Bellingham Circus Guild and a longtime employee at the Colophon Cafe died in a fatal car crash on a snowy and icy highway in southern Montana last weekend.
Della Plaster, 43, who last lived in Anacortes, died when the van she was riding in collided with a truck that had lost control Sunday, Oct. 18, south of Livingston, Montana, according to a story by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Park County Coroner Al Jenkins confirmed to the Daily Chronicle that Plaster had died.
The incident remains under investigation by the Montana Highway Patrol, according to the story, which said the crash happened at approximately 3:30 p.m. along U.S. Highway 89.
According to the Daily Chronicle, a 39-year-old man from Livingston was driving north on the highway when he lost control of his truck in snowy and icy conditions and slid sideways into oncoming traffic. The van t-boned the truck, causing it to roll off the highway.
The driver of the truck was uninjured in the crash, according to the Daily Chronicle, but Plaster was pronounced dead at the scene. A 41-year-old man, also from Anacortes, was driving the van Plaster was in and was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
The Colophon Cafe took to social media to express its sorrow over Plaster’s death, saying in a Facebook post, “We mourn the loss of Della ‘Moustachella’ Plaster. She was a friend and a part of our Colophamily for over a decade. Della was one of the kindest, most positive, creative, joyful, and generous people I have known. Everyone who has met her is better for it. Our hearts and thoughts are with her parents, Wren, and all of her friends.”
Plaster also was a member of the Bellingham Circus Guild, which also took to Facebook to share its feelings Tuesday.
“We are rocked to our cores and unimaginably saddened by the unexpected passing of one of our own, the inimitable Della Moustachella, in a car accident last Sunday,” the Bellingham Circus Guild post read. “We have only begun to process our deep grief and profound loss, but for now will be lighting a candle in her honor this evening, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. to share a moment of love and peace with everyone who was touched by this incredible human.”
In 2014 she teamed up with Jason Quick to visit numerous area schools and present “The Real Food Show.”
The show, which was produced by the Community Food Co-op in Bellingham, used humor, juggling, singing, goofiness, unicycle riding, slapstick, balancing acts and even time and space travel to teach the importance of eating a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, grains and proteins. Between 2014 and the first half of 2015 Plaster and Quick performed “The Real Food Show” before 9,286 school children in Whatcom and Skagit counties, as well as the city of Olympia, according to Herald archives.
