James B. Beam

James B. Beam, 78, of East Wenatchee, passed away January 17th, 2019 at Central Washington Hospital due to complications from several health issues. Jim was born October 24, 1940 to Cecil and Violet Beam in Clairton Pennsylvania, who vowed they had no idea of his name's notoriety. He grew up with two older sisters, Laverne and Emma, who relished the joys of having a little brother to chase around. Laverne fondly remembers him as a good little brother. Jim graduated from Clairton High School in 1958 then attended Marietta College in Ohio and moved to Seattle in 1962, where he met his future wife while working at Standard Oil. He married Georgia Irene Veal on September 2, 1965 at a small ceremony in West Seattle. They moved to Wenatchee in 1967 after falling in love with the area during a camping trip and stayed to raise their two daughters, Charlene and Tricia. Jim started working at the Wenatchee World in 1970, holding several positions and retiring in 1999 as the Controller. One of his proudest moments was seeing the newspaper implement its first computer that took up an entire room. This sealed his love of computers and electronics from then on. He developed a love of fly fishing after retiring and once caught a 13lb trout on a fly he tied himself. When he developed an interest or hobby, he went all in, buying whatever was needed to learn and become an expert. He maintained an extensive inventory of fly fishing gear, equipment to load his own shotgun shells, and had quite the collection of coolers, flashlights, and safety leashes for his glasses. He also never had a traffic ticket, ever the cautious driver. Those who might have driven with him will find this as no surprise. Jim was a quiet man and preferred to spend most days at home with Georgia and the family's golden retriever. He loved to play cards, especially euchre, and was known to slap his trump card down with so much gusto the family's dining room table hosts several dings from his ring hitting the surface. His subtle humor and quick little smile will be missed by all those who knew him. He was preceded in death by his mom, dad and older sister Emma. He is survived by his wife, Georgia Beam, of East Wenatchee and daughters Charlene Schumacher (husband Rick) of Malott and Trish Cepeda and granddaughters Grace and Paige Cepeda of Seattle, sister Laverne Doyle of Pennsylvania and nieces Denise Farrell (husband Ditch) of Arizona and Debbie Panella (husband Bob) of North Carolina, many other extended family members and his beloved dog, Red. The family would like to thank the many doctors, nurses and staff at Central Washington Hospital and Colonial Vista, especially Erin Bergin, for their care of Jim. Their kindness will always be remembered. Per Jim's wishes, there will not be any formal service but we encourage everyone to pause to reflect on a favorite memory. Jim will be missed and never forgotten.

Tributes

James B. Beam

January 24, 1940 - January 17, 2019