Guy Beckett BELEW

1956 - 2014

News Death Notice

BELEW, Guy Beckett Age 57, died September 28, 2014, after a long and courageous battle with esophageal cancer at Hospice of Cincinnati in Hamilton. He was survived by his parents Margery Beckett and David L. Belew of Hamilton, OH. sister, Sally Streeter, her husband Charlie and sons David, Philip, and Andrew of Beverly Hills, MI., his wife, Cynthia (Cindy) Belew, daughter Bonnie Belew Mellish, her husband Alan, her mother Barbara Pickl, sons Guy Beckett Belew, Jr., and Harrison Belew, and grandsons Brett and David Mellish, Wyoming, OH. He is also survived by his in-laws, Junior & Betty Hicks, Chattanooga, TN, brother-in-law, Burt Harvey, nephew Ben Harvey, his wife Erin children Bennett and Caroline, and Kyle Harvey all of Atlanta and his sister-in-law Linda Pickl of Greensboro, NC. He was preceded in death by his grandparents and his sister-in-law, Debbie Hicks Harvey. He was born November 19, 1956 in Hamilton. He was the namesake of his grandfather, Guy Beckett (former president of The Beckett Paper Company) whose grandfather founded the company in 1848. During his youth Guy was a competitive swimmer and tennis player. Through family vacations he learned to fish and had a great love for it, especially deep sea fishing. He loved the ocean and beach. His favorite haven was Boca Grande, FL. He graduated from Cincinnati County Day School. After high school he graduated from Hillsdale College (1980) where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and majored in English. While there he was the assistant coach of the Hillsdale women's tennis team on which his sister, Sally played. It was his great joy to attend college with her. Guy was a gifted musician. He started playing piano at the age of six. He studied classical and jazz piano. Playing and singing were his trademarks. He so enjoyed sharing music with others throughout his life. After college he joined Dillard Paper Company, a paper distribution company, where he began a long and successful career in the paper industry. He held sales and management positions in Charlotte and Greensboro, NC, Atlanta, GA, and Baltimore, MD. After the merger of Dillard Paper Company with International Paper he was most recently named Vice President of Planning & Strategy for Xpedx International. He was a popular and highly respected leader in the paper industry. He was renowned for his management and marketing abilities, as well as, his writing and speaking skills. In 2001 Guy was elected Chairman of the National Paper Trade Association where he served two terms. Guy and his family moved to Wyoming, OH in 1996. He immediately became involved in the community and his church Ascension and Holy Trinity Episcopal. He served on the church vestry, sang in the choir, was past Finance Chairman, chaired the Stewardship Campaign, and was currently co-chair of the Capital Campaign. He served on the board and was a current member of the Wyoming School Foundation. Guy was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2012. Upon his diagnosis he made it his mission to learn everything he could about this disease. He shared the knowledge he gathered through his Caringbridge site in hopes to educate others about this little known cancer. Knowing that many people read his writing, learned about this disease, and were moved to take action for their own health brought him great comfort. He was greatly loved and will be terribly missed. Visitation is scheduled for Friday, October 3, 4-7 PM, at Ascension and Holy Trinity Church, 334 Burns Ave., Wyoming, OH. The funeral will be Saturday, Oct. 4 at 10:30 AM also at Ascension and Holy Trinity Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: ECAN Esophageal Cancer Action Network P.O.Box 243, Stevenson, MD 21153 OR Ascension & Holy Trinity Capital Campaign 334 Burns Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45215.