William Helmuth Beebe

1970 - 2025

William Helmuth Beebe

May 5, 1970 - January 31, 2025

William Helmuth Beebe died January 31, 2025. Bill was a loving son, brother, uncle and friend, and left us far too soon.

Born on May 5, 1970, in Evanston, IL, Bill grew up in Winnetka, IL, the youngest of four children born to John and Caroline Beebe. He spent his youth playing house league hockey, little league baseball, and like most young boys, engaged in typical hijinks around town.

A 1989 graduate of Vermont Academy, Bill enjoyed soccer, lacrosse, skiing, and snowboarding. Classes, not so much. In 1993, while attending VCU, Bill sustained a traumatic brain injury because of a car accident. His recovery was nothing short of remarkable and even surprised his doctors. He overcame numerous obstacles and with great determination, graduated in 1997.

After working in Chicago for three years as a salesman for a specialty food company, Bill moved to Snowmass where he was the caretaker of a large property. He watched over the land, did his best to avoid bears, and had the occasional visit from his neighbor, Hunter S. Thompson. To the world, Hunter was a countercultural author but to Bill he was just a guy who needed to borrow a phone to get directions to a poker game with the Chief of Police. Bill had several hilarious encounters with celebrities in Colorado but to him they weren't celebrities at all - they were just people.

After moving back to Richmond in 2010, Bill set up shop as a handyman. He had a roster of devoted clients and took such good care of them. Dependable, trustworthy, and always on time, Bill was exceptionally compassionate towards the elderly. Many of his senior clients remarked that without Bill's help they would not have been able to stay in their homes. Many thought of him as a son.

In addition to his family, Bill's greatest love was his dog, Sully. Together they, along with Bill's good friend and companion Jennifer Ambs, explored every state park in Virginia. They camped and hiked and took advantage of everything nature had to offer.

Bill is preceded in death by his father, John H. Beebe Jr. He is survived by his mother, Caroline Nicholas Short Beebe, his brother Jack Beebe of Chicago, sisters Blair Beebe Smith (Harvard), of Richmond, and Anne Beebe of Chicago, nieces Sarah Smith Clough (Will) of Richmond and Peyton Smith (Taylor) of Chicago, and nephew Harvard Smith Jr. of Denver.

Bill was an incredibly bright light. He made us laugh the very moment he entered this world, and we will strive to keep the laughter going in his absence. The void is indeed vast, but our memories of Bill are rich and plentiful. We are so grateful for his life and all he gave us. Bill is now at peace.

A private family service was held in The Garden of the Holy Spirit at St. Stephen's Church on February 7th.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the ASPCA: ASPCA.org" target="_new" rel="nofollow">https://www.ASPCA.org, or Virginia Association for Parks: P.O. Box 9205 Norfolk, VA 23505 https://www.virginiaparks.org/donate.