BEECHER TEAL BAIN

Born in Rosebud, Texas 5 December 1917.   Lived on a small farm outside Waco, spent some of his childhood chasing butterflies through the graveyard.   He grew up and worked his way through Texas A & M graduating in 1940 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.   He married my mother, Mary Ruff, on December 29, 1941 in Coeurd' Alane Idaho.   He went off to war in Europe.  

He landed on Omaha Beach, Easy Red, second wave on DDay 6 June 1944.   He survived that meat grinder and the rest of World War II and returned home.   Fathered five children while working for General Electric as a salesman.   He stayed in the service as a reservist through Korea and Vietnam retiring from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel.  

What was heroic about his life?Everything.   He worked his way through school.   He survived a war.   He loved his wife and his children.   We never wanted for sustenance or shelter.   He refrained from killing his smart-aleck-know-it-all teenage son on more than one occasion.   Because of my mother and my father I have never spent a day on this earth knowing what it is liked to be unloved.   How many people can say that?

I lost my father on 3 July 1998 to a stroke.   In the years before his death, we had grown closer as fathers and sons often do.   Not as close as I had hoped, but not too bad.   My heart often aches remembering his loss.  

Contributions and corrections to this page are encouraged.   You do not have to know anything about web publishing.   Just type up the story and send it along.   Pictures are welcome.   If you need assistance email me.