Mr. Dustin Robert Perry Beyer

The Gift of Dustin

A gift- On May 30, 1984 John and Lenore Beyer received the most blessed gift of all. They called him Dustin Robert Perry Beyer. They welcomed him with open arms and hearts.

4-H

We received the gift of Dustin when we joined the Lethbridge Coaldale 4-H beef club. Dustin was an active member of this 4-H club for 9 years. Through out this time he had many projects including the market steer, heifer and cow-calf projects. Dustin’s favorite was probably the market steer because at the end of each year he received a financial boost. Dustin loved his animals and spent numerous hours feeding and attempting to train his projects to lead.

4-H provided Dustin with numerous opportunities. He participated in leadership programs such as PDP, Club week and selections. The latter awarded him a trip to the North West Territories. A trip he forever remembered as one of the best times ever. He also attended the provincial Bashaw heifer show. It was a 3 day show and camp out that many 4-H families attended annually. It was a place of learning, fun and a little bit of mischief. Our 4-H crew often participated in all of the above.

Dustin’s involvement in 4-H allowed him to meet a lot of new people and develop many friendships.

Band

Dustin also had a gift for music. He played the trombone in band while attending Kate Andrews High School. Under the instruction of Ken Rogers he grew as a musician. The peek was the stage bands trip to Cuba. We had a great time there.

While we were there Dustin, Ben Swen and I seemed to find mischief together. Determined to experience the Cuban culture we snuck down the beach to try a Cuban cigar and rum. Sorry Mr. Rogers.

Dustin and I were influential in persuading Ben to toss a fully clothed Mrs. Beyer into the pool. Ben’s courage or stupidity brought us great amusement.

Athleticism

As an athlete Dustin was involved in high school basket ball playing point or wing.

He also enjoyed swimming; he was a certified lifeguard and instructor. Dustin’s “inner child” brought him closer to the children he taught. A great time was had by all.

As an avid swimmer I would often meet Dustin at the pool, of course he would excessively out lap me.

Dustin also enjoyed snowboarding. I will never forget the time our families shared our winter break at West Castle Ski Hill. After numerous unsuccessful landings while doing snowboard tricks Dustin’s butt hurt so much that he carried around a pillow to sit on all day. Snowboarding was an activity he enjoyed with his sister Brittany.

An activity Dustin shared with his extended family was their trips to the lake. There were many hours spent on the lake where Dustin proved to be a talented wake boarder.

Dustin later combined his musical ability and his athleticism in the form of break dancing.

Traits

Some of Dustin’s traits that we treasured the most were his honesty and his respect. His honesty often came in the form of what I like to call “lack of inner monologue.” Dustin often said the things everyone was thinking but no one else was brave enough to say.

Dustin showed genuine respect in his elders. For example he affectionately referred to me as Mrs. T and my husband as Dr. T.

He was very helpful as well we could always count on Dustin to show up and help at our families brandings.

Dustin was gifted with handy hands. From the time he was 3 years old and he took apart his Nana’s waffle iron to adult hood when he worked with computers and his beloved car he proved to be useful.

He took great pride in his appearance.

Dustin liked to look hot.

Friendship

Dustin’s gift to me was friendship. He was a loyal friend, standing behind me whether I was right or wrong. He gave hugs and high fives in every appropriate situation. Dustin loved fun and he laughed often, his smile lit up a room. He was easy to be around, thus surrounding himself with a diverse group of friends. Dustin’s most cherished friends were his girlfriend Megan and their dog Rosco. He also loved his sister, Brittany and his family dearly.

Conclusion

The gift of Dustin to us was cut short by a choice he made.

Dustin our wonderful gift of 22 years and 6 months will be remembered forever

He was and will always be loved.

Victoria and Geri Trautman