Richard D. "Bud" Beckwith 1920-2006

BECKWITH, LINE, HAMILTON, WILTSE, KRAMER, WISE, FAUST, DIGHTON, JOHNSON, FAZZINO

Posted By: David Hellwege (email)
Date: 6/23/2006 at 22:43:19

Richard D. "Bud" Beckwith, 85, formerly of 127 South Story Street in Boone, Iowa passed away at the Eastern Star Masonic Home in Boone on Sunday morning, May 7, 2006. He had made his residence there since February of 2006.

He was born on June 17, 1920 in Diller, Nebraska the son of Paul and Maryellen (Line) Beckwith.

On April 19, 1942, he married Pearl Hamilton in the Presbyterian Church of Oelwein, Iowa.

Richard was a grocer. He began working in the grocery business as a young man in Omaha, Nebraska while his father Paul worked for Safeway Stores. In 1938 he moved with his parents to Boone, Iowa where they with other family members and business associates of Paul founded a grocery chain named Fareway Stores Inc. For the next four years 'Bud’ worked in the new stores in Boone, Ames, Webster City, Estherville, Carroll, Oelwein. In 1942, Bud was appointed manager of a new Fareway store in Nevada, Iowa.

In February 1943, Richard was inducted into the United States Amy with which he served proudly in Normandy, Northern France, and Central Europe. He was injured by the blast of a bomb in Europe and returned home in December of 1945.

In 1946, Bud and Pearl moved to Vinton, Iowa where Bud managed the new Fareway store in that community. All three of their children were born in Vinton. In 1956 the family moved to Boone, Iowa and Bud began supervising stores and working in the Fareway corporate office there until he retired as a Vice President in 1981.

Richard was an active member in the Presbyterian Church in Boone, Iowa. He was a pilot and enjoyed many friends at the Boone airport. Bud enjoyed dancing, farming and annual fishing trips to Minnesota and Canada with family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Maryellen, his wife Pearl in July of 1992, and 2 sisters PauLine Beckwith Cramer and EvaLine Beckwith Wiltse.

He is survived his daughter Mary Lynnell Beckwith Wise, his sons Richard Paul Beckwith and wife Cindy and Scott Hamilton Beckwith and wife Kathy, grandchildren Joel Wise and wife Rachel, Stacie (Beckwith) Faust and husband Chris, Ammie (Beckwith) Dighton and husband Jeff, Jennifer (Beckwith) Johnson and husband Jeff, Emmily (Beckwith) Fazzino and husband Alex, Richard Beckwith II, Bruce Hamilton Beckwith, Kathryn Lindsey Beckwith, and Angela Renea Beckwith, great-grandchildren Caleb and Nathan Wise, Whitney Faust, Paige and Carter Dighton, Jack and Abbey Johnson, Nicky Fazzino, a brother F. William Beckwith, nieces and nephews.

Services will be held Thursday morning, May 11th at 10 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Boone with Dr. Richard Harken officiating.

Interment with presentation of the flag conducted by the Veterans Council of Boone will be in Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone.

[Source: Des Moines Register via the WWW.]