William Dale Beus

William Dale Beus, loving husband, father, grandpa, great-grandpa and decorated serviceman in WWII and Korea, died June 16 in Nampa. He was 92. Everyone who knew Bill Beus, or Dale as he was known by family, will fondly remember him for his stories and amazing memories that came from a full and remarkable life. He was born in Hollister, Idaho to a ranching family. From there, the family moved to Glenns Ferry ending up in Nampa after Bill's dad became a railroad engineer. Nampa was famous to Grandpa Bill's grandchildren as the home of the sugar beet factory.
Bill finished Nampa High School where he played football, and was in the chorus. In 1940, he married his high school sweetheart, Grace Robinson just before he enlisted in the Army-AirCorp to defend our country. For a summary of his story in WWII, you can go to http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.01404/ but briefly he was sent to the Philipines, captured by the Japanese, eventually sent to Japan via 3 "hell ships," survived a death march, and was a POW in Japan for 3 years where he witnessed the Nagasaki A-bomb. For his acts of patriotism, he earned many medals including the Bronze Star and was a hero to many. William served in the Air Force for 26+ years, ultimately a Chief Master Sargent, the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer.
After retiring, he worked at Marvin Peterson Motors in Boise. The frequency with which there was a new used car in their driveway was a favorite topic when neighbors stopped by on Saturdays for fresh bread being baked by Bill or maybe some home-canned fruit to sample.
Retirement was not a time to rest as Bill and Grace traveled in the their motorhome on many trips to the mountains where he loved the outdoors and fishing, reading Louis L'Amour books and listening to cowboy music. He volunteered at the Veterans Home helping veterans make cradles and wood trains for their grandchildren and was famous for amazing dollhouses and clocks. Bill was kind to animals, always had pets and fed too many squirrels to count. His garden always produced enough squash for an army. Grace passed away in 1990 and he was preceded in death by two sisters, Arvilla Snead and Betty Lockey. They were very close in their older years and would often talk several times a day reminiscing about their past.
In 2000, Bill moved to Karcher Estates where he continued service to people. He taught residents Spanish and staff, English. And he walked more miles than anyone there could keep up with. A gentleman to the end, the staff at Karcher Estates said no resident ever used the words "thank you" more than their Bill.
He would want to say a final heartfelt thank you to all the staff at Karcher Estates. He would thank the VA Hospital audiology staff in Boise. He would tell his grandchildren and great grandchildren how much they enriched his life and how thankful he was for all his extended family. And he would tell his daughter to be sure to change the oil in her car! In addition to his daughter, Patty, he is survived by 3 grandchildren, Lauren, Ryan and Barry, 2 great grandchildren, Mia and Preston Simpson and 3 nieces, Julie Lockey, Peggy Snead Miller and Donna Snead Doman, their children and grandchildren, including Dale's namesake, Paxton Dale Doman.
A tribute to his generation, a patriotic American and remarkable man, William Dale Beus always stood tall, in mind and body. He is deeply loved and will be missed by all who knew him. For more of his story, access: http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/williambeusmemorialwall/homepage.aspx
A memorial service with military honors will be Friday, June 24, 2011, at 11 a.m. at the Idaho Veterans Cemetery. On Saturday, June 25, 2011, at 1 p.m., please join the family for a celebration of his life at Canyon Creek Restaurant by Shilo Suites. In lieu of flowers, Bill would have preferred donations to the Warhawk Museum, 201 Municipal Drive Nampa, 83687. Services are under the direction of the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel. An online guestbook may be signed at www.nampafuneralhome.com.