Edwin H. Beeker

Ed Beeker, age 81, passed away on the morning of February 3, 2018. A native of North Carolina, he was born in Hickory and later moved to Cleveland, NC where he graduated from Cleveland High School. Ed went on to attend Pfeiffer College and graduated in 1963. He left Pfeiffer for a period to enlist and serve in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1961. He served with pride in The Corps and considered that time and those experiences to be a defining part of his life. Ed met his wife of fifty-eight years, Jane Allman Beeker, while in college and they were married while he was serving in the USMC.

Ed served as a high school teacher after graduating college and then went on to pursue a long and successful career in the insurance and financial planning industry. He served as a general agent and regional agency manager and held several leadership positions in this industry. Ed served as a mentor and educator in his fields and after over thirty-four years in the business, chose to retire at age 62.

Ed believed all should try to contribute to the communities in which they live and assumed several leadership roles towards that goal. Always the champion of self-improvement and education, he was a voracious reader of many types of media and was always willing to help others in this pursuit.

Several military and corporate moves found Ed, Jane, and his sons, Mike and Mark, in California, Florida, and throughout the Piedmont of North Carolina. Throughout these moves, Ed made many lifelong professional and personal friendships. Their moves found them in the North Carolina communities of Mt. Pleasant, Gastonia, Charlotte, Lake Norman and finally in the Blowing Rock area where they made their home since 2005.

Ed is survived by his wife, Jane Allman Beeker, of the home and their sons, Michael Beeker and Mark Beeker, both of Mooresville, NC. He believed his marriage to Jane and the birth of their sons to be the most important events of his life. Ed is also survived by Mark’s fiancée, Marie Reid Wiegleb and three grandchildren, Reid Wiegleb, Jesse Wiegleb and Eva Wiegleb. Also included are Abbie Layton of Mooresville, Art and Kathy Layton of Mt. Mitchell, Elva and Dave Seaford of California, sisters Lina and Hilda of Georgia and many cousins throughout NC, GA and TN.

A gathering in remembrance of Ed will take place on Saturday, February 17, from 2-4 PM at Gordon Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant, NC. An additional reception of friends will be held in the spring in Blowing Rock, NC at a date yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Crossnore School and Children’s Home in Crossnore, NC, www.crossnore.org.