Glady Bellamy
1952-2010
Glady was born in Goldendale, WA in 1952 and was raised in Central California. He passed away unexpectedly October 1, 2010.
After earning a business degree, Glady moved back to Washington State in 1974 as a sales associate for Tennaco West. In 1980, Glady became the sales manager for Beebe Orchards and operated in this capacity for 9 years.
In 1989, Glady started Columbia Marketing International (CMI) with partners Nick Buak, McDougall and Sons Inc. and Columbia Fruit Packers. As President, Glady helped guide CMI from 1.8 million cartons annually to one of the largest shippers/growers of apples, pears and cherries in Washington State. As an active member of the Northwest tree fruit community for nearly four decades, Glady’s contributions have helped shape the progression of the industry through times of dramatic change.
Glady married Chris Irwin on September 24, 2005. He had two sons, Tom Bellamy and Robert Goodwin; a step son, Eric Schmidt; and step daughter, Stephany Schmidt.
In addition to involvement in the tree fruit industry, Glady was an involved community member. He served as a council member for the City of Chelan, was active in the Republican Party and helped organize local sports events, among many other contributions.
In the mid-1990s, CMI, along with Columbia Fruit Packers and McDougall & Sons, started the CCM Scholarship Fund through the Washington Apple Education Foundation. Annually students whose parents work for the marketing firm or packing plants are awarded scholarships that contribute an equivalent of 85% of the cost of tuition, books, room and board at Washington state public school for up to four years.
Nick Buak offered this comment on behalf of the entire CMI family, “Glady was a fantastic individual who cared deeply for his family, colleagues and business associates, cherishing his relationships and holding them close. Glady believed in the future of our industry and leaves a legacy that will last for many generations to come. He will be dearly missed by all.”
About this scholarship
With Glady’s known belief in education through his personal involvement in the CCM Scholarship Fund, his family elected to start a scholarship fund in his memory to help great kids succeed. Friends from around the world have contributed to the