Richard Lee Beebe

Richard Lee Beebe ("Dick"), age 90, of Valparaiso, passed away on Monday, December 15, 2025.
He was born April 25, 1935, in Toledo, Ohio, the son of Ronald Sinclair Beebe and Mary Jane (Buermele) Beebe.
Dick grew up in north Toledo and attended Hamilton Grade School, Woodward High School, and the University of Toledo. He worked for Railway Express in Toledo from 1953 to 1959. Dick then went to work for his grandmother, Lee Sanford, in the old Sanford's Pet Shop in downtown Toledo. That experience marked the beginning of a 44-year career as one of the original pet supply manufacturer representatives. His business took him around the U.S. where he met and was a mentor to countless others in the growing pet industry. He had his "pet" friends always on his mind as he had enjoyed much of his life with them.
Dick enjoyed computers and reading newspapers, always staying current on the news of the day. He loved to travel and was able to visit all but one of the United States, as well as international travel to cities/countries in Europe, Asia, and South America. Dick had a wonderful sense of humor and was a brilliant storyteller. His remarkable memory for detail made you feel as though you were right there with him.
Dick married Bonnadell Bear in 1956 and together they raised their children: Bradley, Brenda (Jim), and Brent all of whom he was immensely proud. Through them, Dick was blessed with 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
In 1982, Dick married Candace Prentiss and moved to North Barrington, IL, a beautiful suburb north of Chicago. In 1994 they moved to Crown Point, IN and lived there until Candace's passing in July 2001.
Dick met Joanne Blank in 2002, and they began their lives together. He moved to Hebron in 2006 to be with Joanne and then together they moved to Valparaiso in 2014. Dick and Joanne shared a wonderful life filled with memorable vacations and family visits. Through Joanne, Dick expanded his family even more with her children; Peter (Marj), Julie (David), Michael (Carla), Tony (Kelly), 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.
The oldest of seven siblings, Dick is survived by his youngest sister, Midge Arquette and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters; JoAnn and Betsy; and his brothers; James, William and Michael.
A Celebration of Life will be at the Villas at Vale Park Clubhouse, 2445 Allison Circle, Valparaiso, on May 16, 2026. A private family gathering will be from 12:00–1:30 p.m., followed by an open house for friends and loved ones from 2:00–4:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to Life Care Center of Valparaiso, 3405 Campbell Street, Valparaiso, IN 46383.
Death Is Nothing at All
Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
Henry Scott Holland
"Death is nothing at all" is often mistakenly attributed as anonymous but actually comes from a sermon by Henry Scott Holland, a Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral, preached in 1910 after King Edward VII's death.