James E Beckley

James “Jim” E Beckley, Jr, age 84 of Apollo Beach, Florida died Saturday, January 27, 2018. He was born Wednesday, June 14, 1933 to the late James E and Isabel Beckley in Ben Avon, Pennsylvania, a small northwest suburb of Pittsburgh.

Jim is the beloved husband of Frances “Frannie” Beckley; loving father of Jamie (Nikki) Beckley III, Jay Beckley and June Shennett; cherished grandfather of Joshua Beckley, Benjamin Beckley, Steven (Ashley) Shennett and Anthony Shennett; and proud great-grandfather of Stevie Shennett.

In his younger years Jim worked for companies like Boroughs Corp, and in the Goddard & NASA space programs. Later he opened a foreign car repair shop where he was dubbed “Merlin” for his genius in tuning many foreign exotics.

Once retired, he and his loving wife sailed the east coast as “live aboards” and spent summers on the Chesapeake Bay and winters in the Florida Keys. They finally settled in Florida to be near their family. His father was a pilot and likewise, Jim held a passion for flying. In early retirement he was significantly involved in the design and successfully built a prototype personal amphibious aircraft. He always had a passion for WWII history and the flying machines. His favorite was the P38 Lightning. Most recently he enjoyed flying remote controlled drones.

Jim was a kind, compassionate and humble man who loved his family more than anything. He treated everyone with respect and was always willing to lend a helping hand. He taught by example how to love unconditionally, show kindness toward others and the power of positive thought and strong moral values have.

The Beckley family will welcome friends on Friday, February 2, 2018 at National Cremation & Burial Society, 308 E College Avenue, Ruskin, at 3PM. A memorial service will be held celebrating Jims life beginning at 4PM.

Flowers may be sent to National Cremation & Burial; alternately, memorial contributions may be made in Jim’s memory to USF Foundation at 12901 Bruce B Downs MDC 55, Tampa FL 33612. Frances J Zesiewicz Foundation should be in the memo of the check.