Richard C. Beck
September 4, 1939 ~ September 22, 2021 (age 82) 82 Years Old
Tribute
On September 22, 2021, Richard Cameron Beck, age 82, passed away with his loving wife Peggy by his side. Richard is preceded in death by his parents Cameron and Enid Beck. He is survived by his wife Peggy Beck, his daughter and son-in-law Danielle (Lane) Stack, granddaughter Savannah Stack, sister and brother-in-law Carol (Tom) Sawicki, several cousins, nieces, nephews, loving extended family and friends, and his rescue cat, Elsie.
Richard “Dick” or “Rich” Beck was born in Detroit, Michigan to Cameron and Enid Beck. He graduated from Southfield High School in 1958 and attended the Detroit Business Institute after high school. In 1959, with the support of his dad and his cousin Cam, he joined the Navy. He served three years in active sea duty service and two years in the reserves. His last duty assignment was as a Storekeeper (SF) for Seal Team One at Coronado NAB.
After the Navy, Richard worked in banking for a short time. He worked several years for Ameron Pole Products in sales and then Graybar Electric as a quotation manager. He retired in 2005 and then worked as a consultant for Graybar until 2007. Richard and Peggy retired in Tracy, CA.
Richard loved to collect trains, stamps, and coins. It was out of his love for trains that Richard and Peggy earned the titles of Grandpa and Grandma Choo Choo. Out of these titles grew Peggy’s business “Quilts by Grandma Choo Choo” of which Richard was a staff member, driving Peggy to quilt shows and delivering quilts to the post office for mailing. The title of Grandpa and Grandma Choo Choo was a great way for Savannah to remember her grandparents in Tracy.
Richard loved tracking down his family and ancestry, having visited the family farm in Collingswood, Ontario, Canada, writing to distant relatives in Scotland, and periodically peeking at what Danielle was up to on her ancestry account. He was particularly proud to be named after the family clan name, Cameron.
Richard had no problem making and keeping friends. His infectious smile and mischievous laugh endeared him to everyone he knew. He loved telling jokes and funny stories. His favorite story was a poem his father (Cameron) had always told his grandkids (Danielle, Terry, Eddie), adapted from another poem: “I woke up Sunday morning, I looked up on the wall, I saw some fleas and bedbugs, playing a game of ball. The score was 10 to 20, the bedbugs were ahead, I got so darned excited, I fell right out of bed.”
This remembrance would be remiss if it failed to mention his love for cats. He had several cats over his lifetime: Linus and Lucy, Sophie, Fiona, Jasmine, and Elsie. While working at Graybar, he was instrumental in ensuring the feral cats by the office in Hayward were captured, spayed/neutered, and then released. It was during this time, he adopted Elsie.
Richard loved spending time with his family, especially playing canasta with Peggy and Shirley. He also loved working on projects with his son-in-law Lane, having friends come visit, and traveling to see family and friends living away from his home base.
Finally, to honor Richard the best, we will have the following celebrations:
Celebration of Life
Light lunch and refreshments
Saturday, October 23, 2021 (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
American Legion, Post 172
1960 N. Tracy Blvd., Tracy, CA 95376
Military Honors and Internment/Burial
Monday, November 1, 2021 (2:30 p.m.)
Miramar National Cemetery
5975 Nobel Drive, San Diego, CA 92122
Mt. Soledad Veteran Plaque Dedication
TBD
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the plaque memorial to be placed on Mt. Soledad with ceremony TBD after plaque’s completion. Mt. Soledad is located in La Jolla, CA, just a few miles away from the Miramar National Cemetery. When in San Diego, it is a beautiful location to view your loved one’s plaque among so many amazing Veterans. To donate to the plaque, you may use Venmo or PayPal. Venmo: @Danielle-Beck-Stack or PayPal: vballcat@yahoo.com. Please put “Plaque Donation for Richard” in the comment line. Feel free to reach out to Danielle or Peggy with any questions.
Richard “Dick” or “Rich” Beck was born in Detroit, Michigan to Cameron and Enid Beck. He graduated from Southfield High School in 1958 and attended the Detroit Business Institute after high school. In 1959, with the support of his dad and his cousin Cam, he joined the Navy. He served three years in active sea duty service and two years in the reserves. His last duty assignment was as a Storekeeper (SF) for Seal Team One at Coronado NAB.
After the Navy, Richard worked in banking for a short time. He worked several years for Ameron Pole Products in sales and then Graybar Electric as a quotation manager. He retired in 2005 and then worked as a consultant for Graybar until 2007. Richard and Peggy retired in Tracy, CA.
Richard loved to collect trains, stamps, and coins. It was out of his love for trains that Richard and Peggy earned the titles of Grandpa and Grandma Choo Choo. Out of these titles grew Peggy’s business “Quilts by Grandma Choo Choo” of which Richard was a staff member, driving Peggy to quilt shows and delivering quilts to the post office for mailing. The title of Grandpa and Grandma Choo Choo was a great way for Savannah to remember her grandparents in Tracy.
Richard loved tracking down his family and ancestry, having visited the family farm in Collingswood, Ontario, Canada, writing to distant relatives in Scotland, and periodically peeking at what Danielle was up to on her ancestry account. He was particularly proud to be named after the family clan name, Cameron.
Richard had no problem making and keeping friends. His infectious smile and mischievous laugh endeared him to everyone he knew. He loved telling jokes and funny stories. His favorite story was a poem his father (Cameron) had always told his grandkids (Danielle, Terry, Eddie), adapted from another poem: “I woke up Sunday morning, I looked up on the wall, I saw some fleas and bedbugs, playing a game of ball. The score was 10 to 20, the bedbugs were ahead, I got so darned excited, I fell right out of bed.”
This remembrance would be remiss if it failed to mention his love for cats. He had several cats over his lifetime: Linus and Lucy, Sophie, Fiona, Jasmine, and Elsie. While working at Graybar, he was instrumental in ensuring the feral cats by the office in Hayward were captured, spayed/neutered, and then released. It was during this time, he adopted Elsie.
Richard loved spending time with his family, especially playing canasta with Peggy and Shirley. He also loved working on projects with his son-in-law Lane, having friends come visit, and traveling to see family and friends living away from his home base.
Finally, to honor Richard the best, we will have the following celebrations:
Celebration of Life
Light lunch and refreshments
Saturday, October 23, 2021 (1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
American Legion, Post 172
1960 N. Tracy Blvd., Tracy, CA 95376
Military Honors and Internment/Burial
Monday, November 1, 2021 (2:30 p.m.)
Miramar National Cemetery
5975 Nobel Drive, San Diego, CA 92122
Mt. Soledad Veteran Plaque Dedication
TBD
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the plaque memorial to be placed on Mt. Soledad with ceremony TBD after plaque’s completion. Mt. Soledad is located in La Jolla, CA, just a few miles away from the Miramar National Cemetery. When in San Diego, it is a beautiful location to view your loved one’s plaque among so many amazing Veterans. To donate to the plaque, you may use Venmo or PayPal. Venmo: @Danielle-Beck-Stack or PayPal: vballcat@yahoo.com. Please put “Plaque Donation for Richard” in the comment line. Feel free to reach out to Danielle or Peggy with any questions.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Richard C. Beck, please visit our floral store.
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