James Beardall

SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — James J. Beardall, 88, of South Berwick, Maine, passed away peacefully on June 4, 2011, at Huntington Commons in Kennebunk.

James was born Sept. 15, 1922, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of Joseph and Maud (McCauley) Beardall. He was a graduate of Brooklyn Preparatory then attended Manhattan College, where he studied Business Administration. He was the President of John T. Clark & Son, a shipping company in New York City. In 1964 that company was bought out by International Terminal Operating Co., Inc. of Port Elizabeth, N.J., where he then became a terminal supervisor.

James was a sweet-natured gentleman of the "old school," where he knew to treat people with dignity and respect. He loved to travel with his wife, Carolyn, to many places; in particular were trips to Morocco and Israel. He had such a gentlemanly stance about him, wearing his city hats, which he wore with poise and smartness. He enjoyed his many long walks along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit and longed to "get to the ocean," along with hitting as many coffee shops along the way as he could.

His strong passion was his love of reading. He was very proud of his personal library, which would take your breath away as you walked into any of his rooms. His grand niece made a comment that she hopes that God has a lot of coffee and books up there for him!

He also loved children. His whole face would light up when they would enter the room. Jim loved to tell "believable stories" that would grasp the child's imagination that they would remember for years to come.

Jim was a proud man and extremely proud to have served his country as a Marine in World War II. He loved taking trips into the city of Boston, Mass., while he was living here in Maine. When he did, he dressed to the nines with polished shoes, suit and tie, and a hat to match. He loved his city upbringing and was always ready to strike up a conversation that had anything to do with Brooklyn, N.Y. He also enjoyed spending many different holidays with his cousins and their families in Florida and Washington, D.C.

He and his wife Carolyn moved to Maine to the old family farmhouse. After she passed away, he stayed with his niece, Sharon, and her family in South Berwick.

He was predeceased by his wife, Carolyn, and a sister, Delores.

Surviving are his son, Gregory Beardall of Idaho; grandsons, Dylan and Lee Beardall; granddaughter, Molly Beardall; great-grandchildren, Arielle Askeland and Yehoshua Beardall; two sisters, Barbara Reynolds McCarthy and her husband, Jack, of Garden City, N.Y.; Kathleen Plunkett of Cape Canaveral, Fla.; sister-in-law, Geraldine Lord of Ogunquit; niece, Sharon Young, her husband, Martyn, and their children, Analycia and Stuart Young; and nephew, William Lord, his wife, Adriana Lord and their children, Jenica, Julia and Joshua Lord of South Berwick, as well as many other nieces and nephews.

The family would also like to extend a note of gratitude for the love and care from the staff at Huntington Commons.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 11, at 2 p.m., at the Johnson Funeral Home, 26 Market St., North Berwick, Maine, with military honors. He will be laid to rest in Hope Cemetery in Kennebunk, Maine, with his wife, Carolyn, on Monday.

Friends who wish may contribute in Jim's memory to the Louis T. Graves Public Library, P.O. Box 391, Kennebunkport, ME 04046. Online condolences may be made at www.JohnsonFuneralHomeMe.com.

Arrangements are in the care of the Johnson Funeral Home, 26 Market St., North Berwick, Maine.

@Online guest book:Visit www.fosters.com/obits for an online guest book.