Jeffrey "Jeff" Beard

Mr. Jeffrey "Jeff" Beard, 65, of Columbia, Tennessee passed away after an extended illness on December 16, 2025. He was born in Franklin, Tennessee on April 21, 1960. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry Beard and Betty Garrett Beard.

He is survived by his son, Jeremiah Beard; brother, Mike (DeAnne) Beard; sisters, Nancy (Tony) Dyer and Judy Bourdon; as well as several nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and cousins.

Born as the second of four children, bookended by his sisters with him and his brother in the middle. He spent his youth and young adult life in the Antioch area of Nashville. He graduated from Antioch High School in the Class of 1979. Following high school he went to work landscaping. He continued to live in Antioch for several years and worked for Service Merchandise as a forklift driver for many years until their closing. He married in 1984 and was blessed with son in 1990. Around that time, he moved to Murfreesboro for a while before finding his way to Woodbury and finally, making his home in Columbia. The last job he held was with Civil Constructors as a dump truck driver until his health began to deteriorate.

While he and his siblings were young, they spent a lot of time at their Granddaddy and Grandmama Garrett's farm. He became very interested in the horses his grandparents owned and would often ride them. That love for horses carried on into adulthood. Over the years he owned horses and enjoyed going on a trail ride. His dad was very mechanically inclined and shared his knowledge with Jeff. They also shared a love for motorcycles, Harley Davidsons, specifically. He liked to jump on his bike or a horse and let the wind blow back his trademark long hair.

Jeff was a true Southern country boy. He liked riding horses, Southern Rock like the Allman Brothers, and being outdoors. He also had an almost daily routine of working out, he was dedicated to weightlifting and building his upper body and arms. If you didn't know him it wouldn't take long to figure out, he had a giving spirit. He would give you anything he had even to his own detriment. Meeting people came easy to Jeff. When a situation got a little too serious, he would be the first to crack a joke to break the tension. If you weren't family, he would try to connect your family tree to his, and if that didn't work, he would just adopt you into his family. He could carry on a conversation with anyone, and if they had trouble holding up their side, he could take up the slack.

Growing up his parents instilled the importance of going to church and developing a relationship with God. They attended the Tusculum Church of Christ for many years. He held fast to the old adage of God, family and country as the main things in life. You had no doubt of his belief and love for God and his Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He often studied the Bible and was drawn to the stories and writings of King David and the apostle Paul. Jeff's nature was to be a protector for his family and friends or to anyone who needed defending. He handed down this trait to Jeremiah. Jeff was very proud of his son and rightfully, so. Jeremiah stepped up to be Jeff's caretaker as he went through a variety of health challenges over the last few years. Including a kidney transplant last year. Jeremiah learned well to put God and family first, then everything else will fall into place.

Throughout the course of life Jeff had ups and downs as we all do. He was able to weather the storms of life through his faith and trust in God. That was the most important legacy he left to his family and friends. He knew who his savior was and that the trials of this life would be a distant memory compared to the bliss of eternity praising his Lord in heaven.

Visitation will be held at Woodbine Funeral Home-Hickory Chapel on Saturday, December 20, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Funeral services will follow at 1:00 p.m. in the chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are requested to Ferrell Hollow Farms Senior Horse Sanctuary. In honor of his love for horses.