Joseph Beyer

1928 - 2020

Joseph L. Beyer
October 9, 1928 - August 9, 2020
Joe will be dearly missed by his family and many friends. Those who knew him remembered him as kind, thoughtful and generous with a welcoming spirit and a great sense of humor. Puns were his favorite.
Born in Tyrone, Pa. he was welcomed by two half brothers, George and Donald. His father died unexpectedly when Joe was just 4 years old. His mother moved to New York City alone in order to seek employment to support the family. Most of Joe's childhood was spent in foster care.
In 1946 Joe enrolled at Juniata College in Huntington, Pa. While there he set cross country records in track and field, played French Horn in the symphony orchestra and marching band and sang in the a cappella choir.
Upon graduation in 1950 he served as Juniata's Assistant Director of Admissions for a short time followed by 2 years in the U.S. Army.
He was employed by Royal Insurance Co. for 36 years as Human Resources Manager starting in the New York City office and then in the San Francisco office from 1956 until his retirement in 1990.
For over 50 years Joe was an active member of Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. In the early 60's he was one of the leaders of the Ambassadors, a young adult group focused on community service projects. He sang with the Chancel Choir, was a Junior Choir assistant, Senior Adults leader and church historian. He loved leading art and history tours of the church for both members and visitors.
In 1978 he met his future wife, Patty, in the Chancel Choir. In September of 1979 he reluctantly gave up his bachelor life and they were married by Calvary's first woman pastor.
For nearly 41 years they shared many happy times together skiing, traveling, attending many concerts and singing in the choir. Joe was also an avid photographer, recording many events in the life of Calvary.
Joe had been a resident of the Sequoias, a Continuing Care Community in S.F. for over 12 years. He died on August 9 from complications of heart failure and cancer. Special thanks to all the nurses and staff in the Sequoia Health Center for their good care of Joe during his last days.
Joe leaves behind his wife, Patty, their nephew Jonathan Wills of NYC, sister-in-law Tina Martin of S.F., niece Marty Beyer of Portland, OR, nephews Joe Beyer (& Georgia) of Fort Mill, S.C. and Lance Beyer of Rochester, N.Y.
Memorial donations may be made to Calvary Presbyterian Church, 2515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115
An on-line memorial service will be held on October 9, 2020 at 2:00 PM. Please visit www.calpres.org for more details