John J. BECK Sr.

BECK John J. Sr. John J. Beck, Sr., 95 years, of Petersburg, died Friday at Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Visitation will be Wednesday, August 17, from 10 AM until services at 11 AM, at Petersburg United Methodist Church. Pastor Joel Walther and Rev. Michael Clemmer will officiate. Burial will be in Toledo Memorial Park, Sylvania, OH, under the auspices of Summerfield Post 6509, Veterans of Foriegn Wars. Born October 12, 1915 in Ottawa Lake, MI, John was the son of Jacob and Margaret (Leach) Beck. John married Eleanor Ruth Brieschke August 17, 1940 in St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Blissfield, MI, and she died July 13, 2003. John was Valedictorian of Petersburg High School, class of 1933. He received his Jurisprudence Degree from the University of Michigan and also attended the University of Toledo Law School. Employed by Monroe County from 1940 until retirement in 1993, John served as Monroe Co. Clerk from 1940-1944 and was appointed by the Michigan Governor as Monroe Co. Probate Judge from 1946 to 1951. Mr. Beck enlisted in the US Navy during the summer of 1944 with the rank of Ensign. He received his basic training in Bedford, PA, and his Supply Officer training at Harvard Business School, Boston. At Pearl Harbor he was assigned a supply installation at Kaui, in 1945, and later at Pearl Harbor. In the spring of 1946 he returned to the states aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Bennington, and was discharged at the Great Lakes Naval Center in Chicago, but was placed on reserve status. A member of the Petersburg United Methodist Church, and the Summerfield Post 6509, Veterans of Foreign Wars, he served on the Board of Directors for Monroe Bank and Trust and La-Z-Boy, and was a long time member of the Monroe Exchange Club. He received a special award this year as the Oldest Living Mason in Michigan. Survivors include a son, John J Beck, Jr.; a daughter, Janel (Herb) Humphrey; grandchildren, Brent, Maria, Blare, Jake; and great-grandchildren, Amelia and Hayden. John was preceded in death by his wife, a brother, George, and a sister, Elizabeth Feller. The family wishes to thank the staff of Hospice of Northwest Ohio, with a special thank you to Tammy Bleashka and her daughter, Carrie. Memorial contributions for Mr. Beck may be made to: Hospice of Northwest Ohio, or the Summerfield Twp. Fire Department. On line condolences may be sent to: www.capaulfuneralhome.com