Gary M. C. Bean

Gary M. C. Bean of Sudbury, formerly of Chelsea, died on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Gary leaves behind his wife Kathleen; his daughter Sarah, her husband John, and their son Samuel; his son Alex, Alex’s wife Sandhya, and their children Kiran and Maya; and his brother Warren Bean.

Gary grew up in Chelsea, the son of Natalie (Gesson) and Theodore Bean. From a very early age he was an avid reader of science, science fiction, classic fiction and history. Throughout his childhood, his family spent their summers in a cottage at Revere Beach. He enjoyed swimming and exploring the beach and marshes and had a great interest in the natural world, which continued throughout his life.

Gary's adult journey with Judaism began with his attendance at the Harvard Hillel Sceptics' Lunches with Rabbi Maurice L Sigmond, then on to the Havurat Shalom in Somerville and finally for many years at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury where he was active in Torah and Talmud study groups, taught Hebrew school and preschool and was active in social action committees.

Gary also studied at Hebrew College in Newton, was advisor to the Framingham State University Jewish Student organization, and designed and built many geodesic sukkos

He graduated from Harvard in 1968 with a degree in Applied Mathematics. Following graduation Gary went to Botswana as a teacher and teacher trainer with the Peace Corps. In 1976, Gary received his masters degree at Tufts in Education and Psychology. Gary continued his career in education, working with students of all ages.

Gary worked extensively in the field of computer sciences, as a systems analyst and trainer. Early in his career, Gary worked on Project Athena at MIT, an educational computing initiative to get computing resources to students throughout the university.

Gary was passionate about social justice and peace. He participated in numerous protests in the 60’s and 70’s. He was a member of NDAG(Non-violent Direct Action Group), a group that protested against the Vietnam War. He was a delegate for McGovern at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami. He remained active in various local Sudbury, state and federal politics. More recently, Gary attended the weekly protests in Sudbury Center against the family separation policies at our southern border. Gary was currently a member of Sudbury’s Energy and Sustainability Committee and the Sudbury Democratic Town Committee.

Services will be private.

Interment at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Sudbury.

Remembrances in his memory may be made to any of the following three organizations:

HIAS PO Box 97077 Washington, DC 20090. Hias.org A Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees of all nationalities, religions, and ethnic origins.

La Colaborativa (The Chelsea Collaborative) 318 Broadway, Chelsea, MA 02150. https://www.la-colaborativa.org/

Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston 126 High St, Boston, MA 02110. https://www.cjp.org/about-us