JAMES BOYD BEACH
September 27, 1918 - February 29, 2012
James Boyd Beach passed away peacefully in his Van Nuys home on the morning of February 29th.
Jim was born in Oklahoma in September of 1918. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Jim moved to Burbank to begin his career at Lockheed. During his 38-year tenure, he was involved in the design or management of most of the aircraft developed by Lockheed, one of the more notable being his role as Design Team Leader of the L-1011 Tristar project. In 1975 and until he retired in 1978, he was Chief Engineer for Production Design which included military as well as commercial aircraft programs. He holds eight U.S. Patents and was a leader among his peer groups. He had many hobbies and made many friends from hobbies such as furniture making, jewelry making, video making and digital video editing.
His beloved wife of 65 years, Hattie Lee Beach, passed away in 2007. He is survived by their daughter, Marian Fortunati; son-in-law, Gastone Fortunati; three grandchildren, Jon-Paul, Daniella and Francesca Fortunati; and two great-grandchildren, Tyler Fortunati and Tiarja Fortunati, with a third on the way.
Jim left an indelible positive mark on all the lives with which he came in contact. He was known for his intelligence, strength of character and morality. The world was a better place with him in it and he will be deeply missed by all those who knew him.
Published in Los Angeles Daily News on Mar. 6, 2012
