Dean A. Beeman

“Give me a problem and I’ll hand you a solution.” Those who knew Dean A. Beeman would agree that that motto accurately described him. Dean was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Dean, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Dean placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

Dean was born May 3, 1949 in Pekin, Illinois, the son of Newton Yale Beeman and Ruth Robinson Beeman. His childhood found him raised in and around Peoria, Illinois where he matured into the independent person he eventually became. His siblings included Ronnie Shafer, Linda Shafer Bradshaw, Karen Shafer Shaw, Kevin Hippen and Cheryl Hippen. Dean could be seen as being stubborn by his siblings. It was important to him that he was perceived as “right” when it came to his part in those typical family spats. However, this quality did not over power his caring for his family. This ability to balance his family, with his need to be seen as right, helped him to develop into a young adult while enjoying many good times with his family.

During his grade school years, Dean was a very focused and serious student who actually enjoyed the challenge of many classroom problems. He was determined to succeed, and he drew upon his gifts of trust and perseverance to provide him with a competitive edge. While his first love might have been academics, Dean also took part in softball and ice skating. Dean delighted in projects that required planning, critical thinking and resolution.

During high school, Dean was relentless in his pursuit of learning, especially in those subject areas that really grabbed hold of his interests. It wasn't that he didn't put forth his best efforts in all classes, but if a subject really interested him, he would eagerly put forth extra effort to learn all he could. His favorite classes in high school were history, math and chemistry, and he was on the Stage Crew for which he received a Stage Letter for a Letterman Jacket. He graduated in 1967 from Woodruff High School in Peoria, Illinois.

Dean's inventive side developed as he moved into his college years. When Dean found himself involved in an area that particularly interested him, he could organize and complete any task that was given to him and make it look as if he hadn't really needed to put forth any effort. After high school he completed computer programming tech school, as well as several boat motor tech classes, all of which he aced and received certificates of credit for.

Dean was loyal to his friends. He found that he was most in tune with people who had similar interests and thought about things much the way that he did. Dean sometimes had a tendency to be careful in his friendships. His best friends included Al Marlow, Dave Babcock, Steve Babcock, Danny Richardson, Bill Pride, Paul Fish, Jorge (Butch) Erthwine, Chip Hassell and Jessie Renfroe.

Dean often neglected his own feelings in order to give to others. This was very true when it came to how he dealt with his children. He was able to hand on to each child a number of strong values. He taught them to appreciate their abilities, gave them a desire to persevere despite obstacles and set within them a drive to succeed.

Dean married Barbara Lynn Stomberg Gathman on August 17, 1978 in Brandon at her parent's home while on vacation. Their honeymoon was a visit to the Jackson Zoo with their children, followed by a trip to the Gulf Coast with their kids and family.

Their union was a solid, loving relationship. Dean and Barbara expressed their love for one another daily, braving the hills, valleys and problems of life together. Dean loved Barbara deeply and they enjoyed spending time together. Apart or together, they had an unwavering faith and trust in each other and considered themselves true soulmates. Dean's last words to his wife were, "I've always loved you and I always will."

Dean accepted Barbara's children as his own and became father to Michelle when she was 8 years old, Renee was 4 1/2 years old and Shawn was 3 years old. Years later, he and Barbara were blessed with grandchildren: Amanda Dawn Eaton born in 1984, Charles E. Lee Coutts in 1989, Edward Dean Gathman in 1990, Christopher (C.J.) James Dedmon in 1992, Samantha Hazel Coutts in 1992, Alyssa Renee Dedmon in 1994, Shawna Grace Gallagher in 2002 and Jessica Lynn Aaron in 2003; and great-grandchildren: Travis (T.J.) Lee Payne, Jr. in 2004, Nathaniel Payne in 2005, Shawn Eugene Henson in 2009, Zoie Hazel Henson in 2010 and Leah Elizabeth Coutts in 2011. Two additional great-grandchildren are due to be born in 2012: Wesley Dean Gathman to Edward and Courtney, and a blessing (yet to be named) to Charles and Amber. His family was always aware of how much Dean loved them. He delighted in playing jokes on them from the time they were little and considered his family the true light of his life.

During Dean's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Dean was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. His favorite job was as a boat mechanic on outboard motors and test driving the boats. He was employed with several auto parts stores and marine boat businesses in Illinois and Mississippi. Dean's motto was, "Do it right the first time, so it doesn't have to be done over."

Dean shared his knowledge of mechanics with his children and grandchildren, teaching them how to work on their own vehicles, and explaining in detail how and why it was done, and how to do it correctly. His family knew they could call Dean and describe the sound an engine made and he could probably diagnose the problem as well as provide instructions on how to correct it. Dean took old vehicles and repaired them so his family would have transportation with NO CAR PAYMENT! He also built motors for his own vehicles and took great pride in building the best.

For Dean, his outside interests and hobbies became another exercise in learning and mastering areas that interested him. He greatly enjoyed unraveling the "hows" and "whys" that lay behind his hobbies. Dean was always pushing himself to learn more and to stretch his knowledge base even further. He firmly believed that the more things that he knew the more control he would have over things. His favorite pursuits were building and repairing computers as well as playing computer games. He aslo enjoyed boating, fishing, hunting, gardening and constructing model cars. Dean also enjoyed playing board games and cards with everyone, old and young.

Dean had a true appreciation for rock-n-roll and an extensive knowledge of all the bands and artists names and who was in each group. He loved to play music trivia with family and friends, often amazing them with his quick response to who or what band played what song. Dean also liked to attend live concerts as well as enjoy concerts on T.V.

Watching his favorite sporting events by himself was never a problem for Dean. It allowed him to indulge in his own individual interpretation of the event. It was not uncommon for Dean to know what the right play or move “should have been,” and he would vocally address these feelings even if there was no one around to hear them. And if there were others around, he would still state his feelings and gladly debate anyone on their opposing views. He enjoyed following his favorite sporting events. Tops on his list were boat and drag racing and football.

Dean's faith allowed him to better appreciate the gifts and opinions of others. This deepening aspect of his life helped him to accept his own feelings to a greater degree. He was a member of the Methodist church in Illinois from childhood until 1994, then the Methodist church in Pearl and later the Interdenominational church in Johns, Mississippi. During that time, he was a deacon in the Interdenominational church and wrote/printed the weekly bulletins for the church on his computer.

Dean's skepticism was visible when he found it necessary to place too much trust in one person. This was never clearer than when it was time for him to schedule a vacation or period of time away from his regular schedule. Dean loved the research aspects of planning a trip, but the actual process of relaxing was far more difficult. Still, he did manage to enjoy some time away. Favorite vacations included as a child, trips to Michigan, and later flying to California and staying for several days, as well as trips to Alabama with family and friends.

Dean was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. As a child, Dean had a Siamese cat. As an adult, he loved Dobermans and had several as pets including Princess, Rattler and Wolfe, and a tortoise-look cat named Patches.

When Dean's retirement finally came in 2011, he was ready. He worked out many of the details in advance so that he could enjoy the time and not have to worry. In retirement, he found new pleasure in gardening, helping to do things around the house and visiting friends who could not get out. Throughout his life and retirement, Dean loved cooking, and was always trying new dishes. He specialized in peppers; canning and drying peppers and creating his own spices. He often made pepper jelly and spicy foods, including his HOT, HOT chili.

Dean A. Beeman went to be with the Lord on February 13, 2012 at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, following a lengthy illness. Funeral services were Saturday, February 18, 2012 in the chapel of Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home in Pearl. Interment followed in the Faith Baptist Church Cemetery in Florence.

Dean's family shares many memories and the legacy he left will live on in them for generations. Now, a tribute of those memories: " I Will Always Remember..."

-what a wonderful husband he was and how very much he loved me, his melting heart and smile (Barbara)

-that no matter what the question was, Daddy always had an answer (Michelle)

-how much he loved his music (Renee)

-him telling me stories about myself on holiday-the electric fence (Amanda)

-how outgoing he was (Charles)

-how intelligent Grandpa was (Edward)

-him with his computer-playing games, listening to music (C.J.)

-how he would come out of the office with his "Bubba" mug and pour cold water on me (Samantha)

-Peanut Butter (Alyssa)

-him showing us things on the computer (Shawna)

-how he would aggravate me (Jessica)

-watching Poppa play games and loud music (T.J.)

-helping Poppa in the garden (Nathan)

-his sense of humor and good taste in music (Buster)

-the long and engaging conversations we had (Brian)

-what a good man he was (Jimmy)

Dean A. Beeman was always drawn to what was measurable, practical and factual. He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were supposed to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.