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Donald Dean Beach
b.28 Dec 1928 Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA
d.20 Sep 2001 Imlay City, Wayne, Michigan, USA
Family tree▼ (edit)
m. 25 Dec 1919
Facts and Events
Quit school in eleventh grade. Married Kathryn Arvilla Gibbons, 10/21/1946 in Pontiac, Michigan. Lived in Madison Heights in a house behind his father's belonging to them. Later lived in a rented house with "a path", not a bath in Big Beaver, Michigan, later renamed Troy. Built home, 639 Owendale, Troy, Michigan, with leftover grocery money and own hands. Worked in the gas station belonging to his father until his father's death. Worked for Baldwin Rubber Company until factory closed. Worked as an installer of aluminum railings for homes. Worked as millrite for Massey Ferguson, in Detroit until factory closed. Retired to summer cottage (also built with his hands)and renevated it to a year-round home at 739 Sunset Drive, Attica, Michigan, located on Lake Pleasant.
Lapeer County Press, Sept 26, 2001 Donald Dean Beach Died: Thursday, September 20, 2001 Age: 72 Attica Donald Dean Beach, 72, of Attica, died Thursday (Sept. 20, 2001). He was born Dec. 28, 1928, in Detroit, to Levi and Nellie (Bugh) Beach. He married Kathryn Gibbons in Pontiac on Oct. 21, 1947. He was employed by Massey Ferguson before retiring in 1985. He enjoyed hunting and fishing in Mesick and Marion as well as Simcoe Canada. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn of Attica; daughters, Linda (Howard) Byerley of Missouri, Judith (Ronald) Stitt of Jackson, Susan (James) Martin of Madison Heights, Bettie (Roy) Kurkowski-Tackett of Leonard, Lori (Jay) Bender of Attica; son Donald (Karen) of Ortonville; 18 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; sister, Betty Randall of Marion. He was preceded in death by his parents, Levi and Nellie Beach; sister, Audrey Walker and brother, Myron. Funeral services were held Monday (Sept. 24, 2001) at Muir Brother Funeral Home, Imlay City. Rev. Colin Stover officiated. Burial was in White Chapel Cemetery, Troy. Arrangements by Muir Brothers Funeral Home, Imlay City.
Eulogy------ Don Beach Don Beach has touched many lives through the years. In many ways he was the backbone of the Beach family. Many of the lessons that we’ve taught or children come from the example that he has set both as a father and as a husband. In this way his spirit will always live on.
We learned the importance of family unity through the family reunions that he made a must and through the hundreds of weekends we spent up at the lake. He always went out of his way to create fond memories, not only for the adults, but especially for the children. From his hay rides to the water slide that he’d fashioned from an old piece of playground equipment, every kid loved going up to the lake. He knew that if the children had fun, that one day they would come back with their own families and carry on the tradition.
He taught us patience. Weather he was trying to explain how to fix something on your car or teaching a grand-kid how to walk on stilts, he would never get impatient or frustrated with anyone. When teaching kids to water ski, he would always make sure that everyone who wanted to learn got a chance. No matter how long it took or how much gas he went through, he would never give up on you.
He taught us the value of hard work and persistence and that we were capable of anything with enough "elbow grease". If you had a goal or a dream, you could always count on him to stand behind you. No matter how crazy of an idea you came to him with, he would never say that it couldn’t be done. He would say OK how can this be done and he would always do his best to help you.
We learned how to accept people for who they are inside and not for how much money they have or the position they’re in. He could strike up a conversation with just about anyone and make them feel comfortable. You always knew that you could bring anyone to the lake and Don and Katie would make them feel at home.
Together, Don and Katie taught us that marriage, even though it isn’t always a fairy tale can be beautiful. When you have genuine love for each other, you can get through anything. Just like the Vince Gill song that they danced to at their anniversary party, "If you want to see how true love can be , then just look at us’.
Perhaps the strongest lesson we have learned from Don Beach is how to have a sense of humor and not to take life to seriously. When it came to having fun, he definitely lived life to its fullest. Weather he was trying to knock someone
off a toboggan and give them a face full of snow, or telling a grand-kid that their ears were on backwards, or singing "oh what a beautiful morning", while dragging someone out of bed, he always did it with love. There was one occasion when a cousin brought his girlfriend up to the lake for the first time to meet him. Don picked her up and threw her into the lake. His reasoning was that if she came up smiling, he should marry her because she would fit right in. She did come up smiling and he did marry her. We could all go on for hours telling stories like these. I’m sure that’s probably how he would’ve wanted to be remembered. As a man who truly lived life to it’s fullest. Even towards the end when he would sit in his chair and look out the window at his grand-kids and great-grand-kids playing out in the yard, you could tell in his smile that he could still see the beauty in life. Perhaps that is the most important lesson we can learn from him.
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