Gregory Beckelhymer

Although Greg was a sucker for a good battle scene (ask his wife how many times he watched Mad Max: Fury Road or ran around the house shouting, "THIS IS SPARTA!"), he hated the limited vocabulary we have to describe the crapfest of stage 4 cancer. Still, he did his best to enjoy life, traveling to Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, and Washington's San Juan Island this year.

His sparkling sense of humor grew even brighter with each setback. Car rides home from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance often involved belting out the song "Everything Is Awesome" from The Lego Movie.

Born in Seattle on Apr. 16, 1969, Greg received a BA in English and history from the University of Washington and an MA in medieval literature from Western Michigan University, where he worked for the school's Medieval Institute for several years. He spent much of his life in the Seattle area and as a child, spent summers and holidays visiting his grandparents in Alaska. He worked at Microsoft for nearly two decades, most recently as a program manager, where he got a black belt in spreadsheets and conference calls and amassed many longtime friends.

Medieval history and Old English were Greg's true loves. Those who knew him best probably heard him recite the opening passage of Beowulf on more than one occasion. His trips to Europe always included countless castle tours and historical sites. He never tired of reading Tolkien, watching The Lord of Rings trilogy, and analyzing every last bit of it.

Greg was a dedicated football fan. Seahawks and Huskies games were big events at his place, with friends and family gathering each week to scream at the TV, unless of course UW played at Husky Stadium, where Greg was a season ticket holder. He also enjoyed puttering around the house and would eagerly plan upcoming home repair projects with friends, even fixes needed at their home. He was a talented woodworker, building his own work tables (from reclaimed bowling alley lanes) as well as decks, picnic tables, and benches. Sometimes this is how he'd spend an entire vacation.

Much of this makes Greg sound like total a guy's guy. But also, he was a complete softie and an absolute caretaker. His favorite movie was Remains of the Day and he was happy to cry through it, although he'd never admit as much. Kids and pets adored him, to the point that they'd forget anyone else was in the room ("it's all about making googly eyes at them," Greg would say). Having lost his parents relatively young, he was close with his remaining family and deeply concerned about their well-being. He was the brother, uncle, and cousin who always stepped up to help or offer a word of encouragement, often before anyone asked him to.

A cherished partner, friend, and family member, Greg is survived by his wife Michelle Goodman; brother Andrew Beckelhymer; sisters Beth Salguero and Wendy West; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents Wendell and Margaret Beckelhymer.

A Celebration of Life Memorial will be held at 1PM on Friday, December 16, 2016 at Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills Life Celebration Chapel. Please join the family for a time of continued sharing and fellowship following services at Floral Hills Reception Foyer.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood or Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center:

C/O Kidney Cancer Research

PO Box 19024, Dept. J5-200

Seattle, WA 98109

(800) 279-1618

www.fredhutch.org

View Greg’s tribute webpage at:

http://bit.ly/2gppPFL

and/ or

Patient Access Network Foundation:

PAN Foundation Headquarters

1331 F Street NW, Suite 975

Washington, DC 20004

1-866-316-7263

202-347-9272

www.panfoundation.org

and/ or

American Civil Liberties Union:

ACLU of Washington

901 5th Ave., Ste. 630

Seattle, WA 98164.

206-624-2184

1-888-567-ACLU

www.aclu.org / www.aclu-wa.org

and/ or

Planned Parenthood:

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.

Attn: Online Services

123 William St., 10th Floor

New York, NY 10038

1-800-798-7092

www.plannedparenthood.org

Please sign the online guestbook and share your memories with our family.

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.”

~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Arrangements under the direction of Purdy & Walters at Floral Hills, Lynnwood, WA.