James Brooks Beard, age 96, of Sheridan, passed away Monday evening, November 21,2016, at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. Born at home in Sheridan, Indiana on October 2, 1920, he was the son of the late Fred J. and Bessie B. (Lines) Beard.
He attended Sheridan High School and would later attend Barber College.
In August of 1942, the young Marine Reservist was called up to active duty, putting his life and career on hold. Cpl. Brooks Beard would spend the next two years and three months serving his country with the Third Marine Division during WW II. During that time, Cpl. Beard served seventeen months in Pacific island fighting, with his unit being deployed to New Zealand, Guadalcanal and New Hebrides. Brooks was on the front line for six weeks during an eight week battle at Bougainville. During that campaign his unit went through 150 air raids and three shellings. One such shelling happened his first day in Bougainville where a 77 Japanese artillery shell exploded next to the foxhole that Cpl. Beard and two other Marines were hunkered down in. The explosion was so close and powerful that it concussively stunned one of the Marines and filled the foxhole nearly full with dirt and sand, almost burying the three marines alive. In 1944, the fighting was over for Cpl. Brooks Beard. Suffering from battle exhaustion, Brooks made his way back to the states and eventually back home to Sheridan.
After leaving the service, Brooks worked for several years as a bricklayer, as well as working on the line at Firestone. After leaving Firestone, he would go to work for Chrysler, retiring from the assembly line in 1990. During those years, Brooks also worked as a barber at the Wagon Wheel Barber Shop in Sheridan for over 30 years.
Brooks was an avid gardener and nature lover. He was very concerned with the plight of the hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly. He was also an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting and fishing, but neither could compare to the few months of the year that he could go mushroom hunting. He also loved his Sheridan Blackhawks. He followed the Hawks Basketball team and was a HUGE fan of Blackhawk Football.
Brooks was a member of the Sheridan First Christian Church and a member of the VFW. He was also very proud to be the oldest 40 & 8 member of the K.V. Elliott American Legion Post 67 in Sheridan.
Missing the holidays during the war had a strong impact on Brooks. The holiday season was extremely important to him, as was spending it with his family. He loved his family very much.
Brooks is survived by his loving wife, Opal (McAhren) Beard. She and Brooks were married on April 4, 1945. He is also survived by his son, James Brooks Beard, Jr. of Nashville, Indiana; 3 daughters, Dena M. Beard, Linda L. Sutton, and Lynn Napoli, all of Sheridan; 9 ; 20 great grandchildren; and 4 great-great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; twin brothers, Doyle F. and Paul L. Beard; twin brother and sister, William N. Beard and Delight Gunderson; and 4 additional sisters, Wilma Jean Beard, Ingle Barrick, Betty Brocato, and Patty Dunlavey.
Services entrusted to Kercheval Funeral Home.
He attended Sheridan High School and would later attend Barber College.
In August of 1942, the young Marine Reservist was called up to active duty, putting his life and career on hold. Cpl. Brooks Beard would spend the next two years and three months serving his country with the Third Marine Division during WW II. During that time, Cpl. Beard served seventeen months in Pacific island fighting, with his unit being deployed to New Zealand, Guadalcanal and New Hebrides. Brooks was on the front line for six weeks during an eight week battle at Bougainville. During that campaign his unit went through 150 air raids and three shellings. One such shelling happened his first day in Bougainville where a 77 Japanese artillery shell exploded next to the foxhole that Cpl. Beard and two other Marines were hunkered down in. The explosion was so close and powerful that it concussively stunned one of the Marines and filled the foxhole nearly full with dirt and sand, almost burying the three marines alive. In 1944, the fighting was over for Cpl. Brooks Beard. Suffering from battle exhaustion, Brooks made his way back to the states and eventually back home to Sheridan.
After leaving the service, Brooks worked for several years as a bricklayer, as well as working on the line at Firestone. After leaving Firestone, he would go to work for Chrysler, retiring from the assembly line in 1990. During those years, Brooks also worked as a barber at the Wagon Wheel Barber Shop in Sheridan for over 30 years.
Brooks was an avid gardener and nature lover. He was very concerned with the plight of the hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly. He was also an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting and fishing, but neither could compare to the few months of the year that he could go mushroom hunting. He also loved his Sheridan Blackhawks. He followed the Hawks Basketball team and was a HUGE fan of Blackhawk Football.
Brooks was a member of the Sheridan First Christian Church and a member of the VFW. He was also very proud to be the oldest 40 & 8 member of the K.V. Elliott American Legion Post 67 in Sheridan.
Missing the holidays during the war had a strong impact on Brooks. The holiday season was extremely important to him, as was spending it with his family. He loved his family very much.
Brooks is survived by his loving wife, Opal (McAhren) Beard. She and Brooks were married on April 4, 1945. He is also survived by his son, James Brooks Beard, Jr. of Nashville, Indiana; 3 daughters, Dena M. Beard, Linda L. Sutton, and Lynn Napoli, all of Sheridan; 9 ; 20 great grandchildren; and 4 great-great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; twin brothers, Doyle F. and Paul L. Beard; twin brother and sister, William N. Beard and Delight Gunderson; and 4 additional sisters, Wilma Jean Beard, Ingle Barrick, Betty Brocato, and Patty Dunlavey.
Services entrusted to Kercheval Funeral Home.
James Brooks Beard, age 96, of Sheridan, passed away Monday evening, November 21,2016, at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. Born at home in Sheridan, Indiana on October 2, 1920, he was the son of the late Fred J. and Bessie B. (Lines) Beard.
He attended Sheridan High School and would later attend Barber College.
In August of 1942, the young Marine Reservist was called up to active duty, putting his life and career on hold. Cpl. Brooks Beard would spend the next two years and three months serving his country with the Third Marine Division during WW II. During that time, Cpl. Beard served seventeen months in Pacific island fighting, with his unit being deployed to New Zealand, Guadalcanal and New Hebrides. Brooks was on the front line for six weeks during an eight week battle at Bougainville. During that campaign his unit went through 150 air raids and three shellings. One such shelling happened his first day in Bougainville where a 77 Japanese artillery shell exploded next to the foxhole that Cpl. Beard and two other Marines were hunkered down in. The explosion was so close and powerful that it concussively stunned one of the Marines and filled the foxhole nearly full with dirt and sand, almost burying the three marines alive. In 1944, the fighting was over for Cpl. Brooks Beard. Suffering from battle exhaustion, Brooks made his way back to the states and eventually back home to Sheridan.
After leaving the service, Brooks worked for several years as a bricklayer, as well as working on the line at Firestone. After leaving Firestone, he would go to work for Chrysler, retiring from the assembly line in 1990. During those years, Brooks also worked as a barber at the Wagon Wheel Barber Shop in Sheridan for over 30 years.
Brooks was an avid gardener and nature lover. He was very concerned with the plight of the hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly. He was also an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting and fishing, but neither could compare to the few months of the year that he could go mushroom hunting. He also loved his Sheridan Blackhawks. He followed the Hawks Basketball team and was a HUGE fan of Blackhawk Football.
Brooks was a member of the Sheridan First Christian Church and a member of the VFW. He was also very proud to be the oldest 40 & 8 member of the K.V. Elliott American Legion Post 67 in Sheridan.
Missing the holidays during the war had a strong impact on Brooks. The holiday season was extremely important to him, as was spending it with his family. He loved his family very much.
Brooks is survived by his loving wife, Opal (McAhren) Beard. She and Brooks were married on April 4, 1945. He is also survived by his son, James Brooks Beard, Jr. of Nashville, Indiana; 3 daughters, Dena M. Beard, Linda L. Sutton, and Lynn Napoli, all of Sheridan; 9 ; 20 great grandchildren; and 4 great-great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; twin brothers, Doyle F. and Paul L. Beard; twin brother and sister, William N. Beard and Delight Gunderson; and 4 additional sisters, Wilma Jean Beard, Ingle Barrick, Betty Brocato, and Patty Dunlavey.
Services entrusted to Kercheval Funeral Home.
He attended Sheridan High School and would later attend Barber College.
In August of 1942, the young Marine Reservist was called up to active duty, putting his life and career on hold. Cpl. Brooks Beard would spend the next two years and three months serving his country with the Third Marine Division during WW II. During that time, Cpl. Beard served seventeen months in Pacific island fighting, with his unit being deployed to New Zealand, Guadalcanal and New Hebrides. Brooks was on the front line for six weeks during an eight week battle at Bougainville. During that campaign his unit went through 150 air raids and three shellings. One such shelling happened his first day in Bougainville where a 77 Japanese artillery shell exploded next to the foxhole that Cpl. Beard and two other Marines were hunkered down in. The explosion was so close and powerful that it concussively stunned one of the Marines and filled the foxhole nearly full with dirt and sand, almost burying the three marines alive. In 1944, the fighting was over for Cpl. Brooks Beard. Suffering from battle exhaustion, Brooks made his way back to the states and eventually back home to Sheridan.
After leaving the service, Brooks worked for several years as a bricklayer, as well as working on the line at Firestone. After leaving Firestone, he would go to work for Chrysler, retiring from the assembly line in 1990. During those years, Brooks also worked as a barber at the Wagon Wheel Barber Shop in Sheridan for over 30 years.
Brooks was an avid gardener and nature lover. He was very concerned with the plight of the hummingbirds and the monarch butterfly. He was also an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting and fishing, but neither could compare to the few months of the year that he could go mushroom hunting. He also loved his Sheridan Blackhawks. He followed the Hawks Basketball team and was a HUGE fan of Blackhawk Football.
Brooks was a member of the Sheridan First Christian Church and a member of the VFW. He was also very proud to be the oldest 40 & 8 member of the K.V. Elliott American Legion Post 67 in Sheridan.
Missing the holidays during the war had a strong impact on Brooks. The holiday season was extremely important to him, as was spending it with his family. He loved his family very much.
Brooks is survived by his loving wife, Opal (McAhren) Beard. She and Brooks were married on April 4, 1945. He is also survived by his son, James Brooks Beard, Jr. of Nashville, Indiana; 3 daughters, Dena M. Beard, Linda L. Sutton, and Lynn Napoli, all of Sheridan; 9 ; 20 great grandchildren; and 4 great-great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; twin brothers, Doyle F. and Paul L. Beard; twin brother and sister, William N. Beard and Delight Gunderson; and 4 additional sisters, Wilma Jean Beard, Ingle Barrick, Betty Brocato, and Patty Dunlavey.
Services entrusted to Kercheval Funeral Home.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
