Adrian Johngene Bean Jr.

Adrian Johngene Bean, Jr.

SHREVEPORT, LA - Adrian Johngene Bean, Jr., known to all his friends as "John" Bean, died suddenly at his restaurant, Herby-K's, on Friday, July 28, 2006. At the time of his death, he was 58 years old. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 at the Lowe-McFarland American Legion Post Number 14 at 5315 South Lakeshore Drive, at 3:00 P.M. Military Rites will be conducted by the 12th District, Dept. of LA, Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard.

John was born in Shreveport on October 20, 1947. After graduation from Woodlawn High School in 1966, he attended the University of Southwest Louisiana in Lafayette, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. While in high school and college, he played bass and guitar with "Bill Wray and the Showband Royale" in venues all around the Ark-La-Tex. He joined the United States Army in 1968 and became a helicopter pilot. During his Army aviation career he was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer. Ultimately he received an officer's commission and separated from the Army in 1972 as a Captain. As a UH-1 pilot flying medical evacuation missions in Viet Nam, he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal. While saving countless lives as a medevac pilot, he was shot down three times, including one mission in which he escaped and evaded capture until he and his crew were rescued by another U.S. Army helicopter.

After John's military aviation career, he moved to New Orleans where he owned and operated Cooter Brown's Bar and Grill. It was there that he developed his love for cooking and serving his friends. As soon as he received his commercial helicopter pilot's license, he sold Cooter Brown's and began his career flying helicopters offshore to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and geological survey crews in Alaska. During that period he received his Airline Transport Pilot rating, which he maintained throughout his life.

In 1981 he married Janet Kaye Thrasher, who he had known since they were in junior high school together. Jan was the owner of Herby-K's, an eating institution in Shreveport since 1936. John joined Jan in running Herby-K's, where he expanded the menu with dishes that became immensely popular with all their customers. In 1993, he returned to aviation, flying both offshore and for the U.S. Forest Service fighting forest fires in Oregon. After flying for several more years, John sold automobiles for a local dealership and then returned to Herby-K's fulltime in 2002.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Meikle Bean and his uncle, State Senator Ron Bean. He is survived by his wife, Janet, daughters Rachael Allison Bean of New Orleans, Lesley Busi Rickman and her husband, Dr. Samuel K. Rickman of Jackson, Tennessee and Angela Michelle Busi of Boulder, Colorado; his father, Adrian Johngene Bean, Sr. and a sister, Virginia Bean, both of Shreveport; two grandsons, Samuel Bratton Rickman II and William Jackson Rickman; and his father and mother-in-law, Maurice and Nena Thrasher of Shreveport.

John Bean was the consummate host, who remembered every customer and made them feel like family. He will long be remembered for his talented airmanship, his superb cooking, and his genuine smile that lit up a room. Any day that you enjoyed John's warm greeting, a Shrimp Buster and some onion rings was a great day. He left a mark on everyone he met and he will be sorely missed.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Louisiana War Veterans Home, PO Box 134, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA 71110. Rose-Neath Funeral Home

Marshall Street Chapel

318-222-0348