Norman Luther Beachum's Obituary
Norman L. Beachum was a modern-day Renaissance man. A self-taught artist with a keen intellect and a passion for learning, he was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
His interest in art developed early as a young boy growing up in Tennessee. He would go on to work in multiple mediums – oil, watercolor, pastels, charcoal and acrylics – and tackle subjects as diverse as landscapes, still lifes and portraits.
He honed his skills as an artist at workshops and classes, both local and overseas, but his camera was a constant companion, helping to capture the details and images he used in his art. Through his love of art and photography, he taught his children how to see the world.
Born on March 7, 1927, in Union City, Tennessee, Norman grew up on the nearby shores of Reelfoot Lake, moving to Muskegon, Michigan, with his parents at age 13.
Just four years later, on his 17th birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving on the newly commissioned USS Cumberland Sound, a seaplane tender operating in the South Pacific theatre in World War II. Norman watched from the decks of his ship in Tokyo Bay as the Japanese signed the surrender on board the battleship USS Missouri in September 1945.
Norman returned to Muskegon at the war’s conclusion, soon marrying Emajean Sutton, his wife of 46 years, who preceded him in death in April 1992. They raised eight children. He coached his sons’ youth baseball teams and served as an assistant scout leader. Norman also served as a deacon at the former East Lawn Reformed Church in Muskegon.
He retired in 1989 as a millwright from the Sealed Power Corp., now SPX. Although he did not have a formal education beyond earning a GED after WWII, he had a voracious appetite for knowledge and loved to read. Despite a late-life eye disease that severely limited his vision, he used a reading machine to study the manifold topics of interest to him – from particle physics to cosmology to artificial intelligence. Norman had a healthy sense of humor and was not above telling jokes on himself. He loved to travel and collected artworks from trips on four different continents. Perceptive, wise and ever inquisitive, he delighted in asking thought-provoking questions of his children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Norman is lovingly remembered by three daughters: Mary (Al) Schmidt of Grand Haven, Stephanie Skinner of Grand Haven, and Sheila (Keith) Bilby of Saline, MI; five sons: Norman Luther (Ruth) Beachum, Jr. of Foristell, MO, David Beachum of Fruitport, Rick (Cindy) Beachum of Fruitport, Steve (Janet) Beachum of Ludington, and Daniel (Holly) Beachum of Ada; twenty-three grandchildren; twenty-four great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Kay Michelle Beachum in 1955, two grandsons, Kristopher and David Beachum, and his sister, Anne Beachum.
A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 27, 2018, at Sunrise Memorial Gardens with Pastor Gary Lacy officiating. Military honors will be provided by the Sgt. Alvin Jonker Post # 2326 Honor Guard. Friends may meet the family after the graveside service at the Lake House, 730 Terrace Point Road, Muskegon, MI 49440. Memorials to The Muskegon Rescue Mission or American Cancer Society are appreciated. Share memories with the family at their online guest book at www.sytsemafh.com.
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