LeRoy "Lee" Beardsley 1906-1950

BEARDSLEY, KNUDSON

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 6/15/2014 at 22:22:12

Beardsley, Former Proprietor of Coe Book Store, Shot
Lee R. Beardsley, 43, former proprietor of the Coe college book store, was found shot through the head in his car Friday night at the Lansing, Mich., airport parking lot. He died early Saturday morning at the Edward W. Sparrow hospital in Lansing.

Coroner Ray Gorsline said Beardsley apparently was a suicide victim but that paraffin tests would be taken of the gun, a .22 caliber rifle, before the verdict was made official. The rifle was found in the car beside him.

Beardsley was found slumped over the wheel of his car by an airport employe.

His wife and their daughter, Marilyn, 16, were a the Beardsleys’ Cedar Rapids home at 2256 Bever avenue SE. They left for Lansing immediately.

A close family friend said that the house had been sold and that the wife and daughter were in the process of packing prior to moving to East Lansing. Beardsley had opened a book store at Michigan State college there for the last quarter of the school year.

Beardsley formerly owned the book store on Twelfth street NE across from the Coe college campus. He sold the store to the college in 1948. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, February 18, 1950)

Book Store Owner, Former Cedar Rapids Man, Dies of Wound
Lansing, Mich. – Lee R. Beardsley, 43, an East Lansing book store proprietor, formerly of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was found shot through the head in his car at the Lansing airport parking lot here Friday night.

Coroner Ray Gorsline said Beardsley apparently was a suicide but that paraffin tests would be taken of the gun, a 22 caliber rifle, before the verdict was made official.

Beardsley was found slumped over the wheel of his car by an airport employe. He died early this morning at the Edward W. Sparrow hospital.

His wife, Angelina, was reported to be flying here from Cedar Rapids. (Iowa City Press Citizen, Iowa City, IA, February 18, 1950)

Beardsley Services
Services for LeRoy “Lee” Beardsley, 43, of 2256 Bever avenue SE, resident of Cedar Rapids 14 years, who died at 2:58 a.m. Saturday at Lansing, Mich., will be conducted in the Barta-Hesser chapel at 10 a.m. Tuesday by the Rv. J. Richard Wagner, pastor of First Congregational church and Mt. Hermon lodge. Burial will be at Armstrong, Ia. Friends may call at the chapel.

All Master Masons will meet at the Masonic Temple at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Born at Edgington, Ill., June 3, 1906, Mr. Beardsley came to Cedar Rapids from Detroit.

Proprietor of a book store at Michigan State, East Lansing, Mich., he was a member of First Congregational church; Mt. Herman lodge, No. 263, A.F. and A.M.; Iowa consistory; El Kahir Shrine; Malta chapter, O.E.S., No. 415, and National Association of College Stores. He was a graduate of Drake university, and the Capital City Commercial college, at Des Moines.

He was married in Des Moines, Aug. 15, 1928, to Angeline M. Knudson, who survives. Also surviving is a daughter, Mary, of Cedar Rapids. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, February 20, 1950)

Beardsley Death Ruled a Suicide
The death of Lee R. Beardsley, 43, former proprietor of the Coe college book store, who was found shot through the head in his car Friday night at the Lansing, Mich., airport, has been officially termed a suicide.

Lansing Coroner Ray Gorsline said Wednesday that investigation has confirmed his original opinion that Beardsley was a suicide victim.

Beardsley had been shot in the head with a .22 caliber rifle which was found in the car beside him. He died early Saturday in a Lansing hospital. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, IA, February 22, 1950)