Bill Beeny

Beeny, Bill

Rev. Bill Beeny died Jan. 19, 2022. He was born in Madisonville, KY, in 1926 to Robert and Effie; in 1954, he moved to St. Louis, where he started and pastored six churches. Beeny's Baptist radio program aired on 87 stations in the US, Canada, and Mexico. His Sunday TV show aired on 13 stations, and he also wrote and published a weekly newspaper, The Word of Life.

In addition to being a longtime real estate broker, Beeny ran for governor of Missouri in 1964 and lieutenant governor in 1968. A colorful character, he launched numerous creative enterprises, including a 50-acre Western ghost town, the Jesse James Hideout 1850s Cafe, a country-western musical trio, and the Elvis Is Alive Museum in Wright City. Late in life, he worked tirelessly at Baptist Missions, feeding and clothing 500 families a month. Beeny was blessed with 14 children. With Margaret Mabry Beeny, he had eight children: Margaret Dayle Beeny Lucy (deceased); Steve Beeny of Osage Beach, MO; Andrew Beeny of Weldon Spring, MO; Beth Beeny Johnson of Humble, TX; Kristy Beeny Darragh of Tampa, FL; Kit Beeny (deceased); Pete Beeny of St. Peters, MO; and Tony Beeny of Wright City, MO. He had three children with Glenda Sue Brown: Cynthia, Angela, and David Brown of Los Angeles, CA. With Margaret Muse, he had one son, Tobias Beeny of Vero Beach, FL. With Laura Schneider Beeny, he had two children: Billy Beeny of St. Charles, MO, and Jack Beeny of Houston. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the community food pantry at Wright City Church of the Nazarene.