Ken Beeby

He leaves behind his daughters Anne Beeby and her husband Sam Herchak, Bonnie Brown Domin, son Alex R. Brown and daughter-in-law Carol Amidon Brown. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great grandchildren. Preceded in Death by his wife Doris D. Beeby and son Geoffrey D. Brown.

Born and raised in Stanmore, Middlesex, England, he lost his father at an early age. Now without any income, his mother lost their home and had to send him and one of his brothers to a boarding school, where he learned many life skills. Ken joined the Royal Air Force at 18 and worked his way into a pilot slot. England sent many pilots to the United States for training and in 1942 he found himself at Falcon Field, in Mesa, AZ. Besides many hours in the Stearman and AT-6 Texan, once back in England he then flew the Tiger Moth, Typhoon and Spitfire aircraft.

After the war and 10 years in the RAF, he returned to Mesa where he met his wife Doris and her 3 small children (Alex, Geoff and Bonnie). In the mid-1950's their daughter Anne was born. Ken worked at Passey Bond Insurance Agency in Mesa for many, many years. They lived in several houses near downtown Tempe, and in 1961 moved to Shalimar Country Club. Ken and Doris were one of the founding members of “The Church of Epiphany” in Tempe, and he was also involved in Kiwanis of Mesa. In 1992 they moved to Leisure World of Mesa, where he was involved in many activities until 2011. After his wife Doris died in 2011, he moved to Friendship Village where he made many new friends and connected with old ones. Again he participated in Kiwanis and began volunteering at the skilled nursing center.

Ken was very involved with running the annual memorial service in Mesa for the RAF pilots who were killed during training at Falcon Field. He participated in many programs with the Commemorative Air Force of Arizona and was instrumental in having the CAF take over the RAF Memorial Service, as more of the WWII survivors passed on. He helped many people with projects about the RAF, including a book called “Images of America: Falcon Field” by Daryl Mallett and an ongoing movie project by the National Documentary Film Alliance named “Patriot Skies.”

Ken loved Arizona and he became a citizen as soon as he could. He was a vibrant, kind person and a friend to many; his stories are legendary and he will be sorely missed.

Services will be held on September 24th at the Church of the Epiphany in Tempe, at 10:00 AM. Reception to follow. In lieu of flowers please donate in memoriam of Ken Beeby to “Hospice of the Valley-Friendship Village” or, “The Commemorative Air Force of Arizona.”