Reverend John V. Beams' Obituary
Reverend John V. Beams died Sept. 17th, 2016 in The Villages, Florida. He was 95. He has joined his beloved wife, Kay Naugle Beams who died in 2001.
He was born Dec. 25, 1920, in Spencerville, Indiana to Robert G. Beams and Berdine James Beams. He graduated from North Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana and then attended North Central College and Evangelical Theological Seminary in Naperville, Illinois and received his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1946.
He married Kay in 1942 and they had four children, Judith( Bill Biebesheimer); Robert (Pat); Sandra (Mike Stumpf) and Susan ( Onas Hanekamp). He had five grandchildren, Mike and Alan Biebesheimer, Jim and David Beams, and Amanda Stumpf. He had five great grandchildren, Emily, Will, Elijah, Noah, and Kinnick.
He served churches in Elkhart, Evansville, Marion, and Tipton, Indiana. He was the chaplain for Harper Hospital in Detroit for over 5 years. He then served at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania for almost 30 years and then Bethel Park (PA) Presbyterian Church. While in the Pittsburgh area, he taught Clinical Pastoral Education to area ministers, was instrumental in bringing in Hospice to the South Hills in 1980 and served as a Hospice chaplain. He helped establish Town Hall South, a philanthropic organization dedicated to bringing nationally and internationally acclaimed lecturers to the South Hills of Pittsburgh. The organization was founded in 1969 as an outreach program of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Town Hall South continues to function as a self-sustaining entity under the gracious auspices of Westminster Presbyterian Church. He helped establish a successful summer program for intercity children to attend Camp Elmhurst.
He moved to The Villages in 2000 and was involved with the Weirsdale and Wildwood Presbyterian churches. He volunteered at Hospice House and delivered Meals on Wheels. He received the Martin Luther King award in Sumter County.
He was a caring, loving Father and Grandfather who taught the love of our fellow man and lived his life as an example of this for his family. He will be greatly missed by them.
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