By Melissa Fili
MethuenLife Writer

Methuen’s Beverly (Motherway) Winn is the first to admit it: She doesn’t like change.

For 78 years, she’s lived in the same beautiful home – which originated with her grandparents – in the Valley section of Methuen, where she and late husband Red raised their family. For 44 years, she’s worked at Nevins Memorial Library, where she currently serves as Head of Technical and Administrative Services. And for 26 years, she’s driven her 1999 yellow Volkswagen Beetle – a hand-picked purchase she and Red made together – all around Methuen and beyond.

Bev and her late husband Red Winn bought the car together.

You may have spotted Bev and “Buttercup,” as the car is lovingly named, merrily cruising across town. The “WE WINN” license plate is their calling card.

But last month, Bev noticed that the engine seemed to drag, as if it was a standard that couldn’t quite shift into the next gear. Buttercup got towed to Hamid Saliba, owner of Methuen Auto Care, whom Bev calls “my wonderful, longtime-treat-the-old-car-with-kid-gloves mechanic.”

“Buttercup has a faulty transmission. (Saliba) feels the cost is not feasible to spend on such an old car,” Bev relates. “Rust in the frame, after 26 New England winters, only adds to the diagnosis.”

She notes that her friendly mechanic “is emotional like me … when he told me he couldn’t fix it, we were both in tears.”

Everything in life is expensive today. For Bev, it doesn’t make sense, financially, to spend so much on a car that’s already been driven 145,000 miles.

“I also realize that fixing the transmission might not be it. After all this time, something else could go wrong like the catalytic converter. There’s also the rust …,” she rationalized. “I had always hoped Buttercup and I would make it through together until the day someone decides it’s time for me to give up my keys.”

For Bev, her Buttercup is so much more than just a mode of transportation. Back in 1999, she and Red “were on a mission” to find a brand-new yellow VW Bug. They traveled to the South Shore to purchase Buttercup.

“My heart is broken because I am such a sentimental fool. Red and I bought that car for me TOGETHER. He was in it for years … It is yet another ending, another loss in this rollercoaster called life,” said Bev, whose beloved Walter E. “Red” Winn III died in 2008 after 41 years of marriage. “I realize it is only a car and I will survive. But it has been my ‘trademark’ for so many years.”

Between the unique license plate and her favorite Nevins Library parking spot (inside the 1883 Carriage House, to the right of the main entrance, where horse-and-buggies would rest back in the day), folks love letting Bev know they’ve seen her out and about.

She’s used to hearing, “I saw you at The Loop!” or “I knew you were working today, I saw the yellow VW” or “I know that Bug with the WE WINN plate has to be you!”

This kind, compassionate and joyful lady loves knowing people care about her.

While Bev is distraught, she’s not giving up! If “repair” isn’t the way to go, she might seek out a car dealer who understands her passion for this sweet ride, in this color … and ONLY this color.

With its “WE WINN” license plate, “Buttercup” – owned by Methuen’s Bev Winn – is easily recognizable cruising through the city and while parked at Nevins Library, where Winn has worked for 44 years. The 1999 yellow VW Beetle may have taken its last ride, now that it needs a new transmission. ML photos by Melissa Fili

Fingers crossed, Buttercup’s twin is out there … somewhere … just waiting to hit the road in Methuen!