Kenneth Ray Beerwinkle

April 4, 1938 - April 16, 2020

Dr. Kenneth Ray Beerwinkle passed from this life on earth to be with the Lord on Thursday, April 16, 2020.

He was born April 4, 1938 to Ruben and Esther Beerwinkle in Bell County, Texas. He was the oldest of six children in a farming family. He grew up on the family farm raising cattle, sheep, hogs, and many fields of various crops. Agriculture was the center of his life beginning at age five when his father used baling wire to attach wooden blocks so that he could reach the pedals to drive the tractor. Kenneth participated in both 4-H and FFA at Belton High School and was a life-long active church member. While in high school he exhibited cattle at the Houston Livestock Show each year. His senior year, he competed in an agricultural mechanics essay contest through the livestock show, where he wrote about engineering an irrigation system using Belton Lake.

He won the contest and earned a scholarship to attend Texas A&M College to begin his formal education to become an agricultural engineer. He was a member of the Corp of Cadets and graduated as a member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '60. Following his graduation, he was commissioned into the United States Air Force as a vehicle maintenance officer. He served his country on active duty from 1960-1963 stationed at Kadena AFB in Okinawa and Reese AFB. He told many proud stories of this time in his life, but his favorite story of all time was how he met his wife, Jean of 52 years. When he returned from his service in the Air Force, he met Jean on a blind-double-date, but she was not his date. They hit it off, and she soon brought him home to meet her family. With a beaming grin, he always said he knew he was going to marry her after that day because, "her momma's cooking tasted like my momma's cooking." He and Jean married in December of 1964 and had two children, Tammy and Kenneth Allen. Kenneth planted roots in College Station, Texas working as a research engineer for the USDA, during which he earned his Masters Degree and Ph.D. in agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University. Kenneth was a proud Aggie in a family that bleeds maroon; all four of his brothers, his son, both grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews followed in his footsteps and have earned degrees from Texas A&M. He will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, and proud papa.

Kenneth is preceded in death by his wife, Jean, his parents, Ruben and Esther Beerwinkle, brother, Donald Beerwinkle, and sister-in-law Lois Calvin.

He is survived by daughter Tammy Reynolds and husband James of College Station, son Kenneth Allen Beerwinkle and partner Rob Lewis of Dallas, grandson Taylor Reynolds and fiancé Kelsey Bard of Grand Island, Nebraska, granddaughter Halley Reynolds of College Station, brothers and sisters in-law, David Beerwinkle and wife Sydney of Temple, Larry Beerwinkle and wife Margaret of Wills Point, Dale Beerwinkle and wife Linda of Hydro, Oklahoma, sister Linda Birch and husband Tommy of Borger, sisters in-law Vernaline Stolte, Fay Hall, Carolyn Johnson and husband David, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial donations can be made to Faith United Church of Christ, 2901 Austins Colony Pkwy, Bryan, TX 77808.

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