Clark Beeson

(May 16, 1922 - April 19, 2017) 

Clark Beeson was born May 16, 1922 to Ed and Mable (Perkins) Beeson on a farm 14 miles southwest of Bethune, Colorado and departed this life on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 in Parker, Colorado.

He attended First Central School SW of Bethune for 12 years graduating in 1940. His “growing up” years never left a dull moment around the Beeson household or at school. He loved to tell about the many “tricks” he and his cousins or friends would pull mainly on his sister Midge at home, or on anybody that was handy at school. There wasn’t a doubt who was in on it and probably everyone close heard “CLARK”!!!

He had many stories to tell about those years describing the life then. He remembered the “dust bowl” days were bleak. You couldn’t grow anything so you didn’t have anything to feed the animals. The government bought cows for $25.00 and calves for $1.00. He remembers cleaning out a couple of inches of dirt from the window sills and carrying out the dirt with a scoop shovel and cars not running because of the static electricity.

He broke many horses to ride and none got by with bucking him off. A neighbor told someone that Clark, his horse and his dog could do the work of 5 people.

When he was 13 years old he got to go on a seven day, 75-mile, cattle drive from north of Limon, Colorado to north of Kit Carson, Colorado. It was a wonderful memory except for the morning he woke up covered in bed bug bites after sleeping on a mattress in an abandoned cabin to escape a snowstorm.

After graduation, he enjoyed playing on the First Central Baseball team. He lived on the farm until he went into the Navy in 1945. He took his training at San Diego Naval Base, his hospital training at Balboa Park, Calif. Then he was transferred to Mare Island Naval Base where he worked in the hospital until his honorable discharge in 1946.

After his discharge from the Navy, he married Opal Schaal to which union was born eight children: Dixie, Judy, Donna, Dale, Dottie, Lyle, and Danny. They lived on a farm eleven miles southwest of Bethune, Colorado for several years.

During the dust bowl days of the 50’s Clark got pneumonia and decided to move to Oregon where he spent four years logging. After four years of logging, he returned to the farm where he formerly lived and eventually moved to Bethune and started running the Conoco station there.

After Opal fell ill and passed away, Clark met and married Charlotte Cranford. To this union was born one son: Richard. Since Charlotte had three children, Michael, Mitchell and Michele (who Clark adopted later in their marriage) and Clark had eight children, Richard rounded out the family to an even dozen. This blessed him with 35 grandchildren and the number is still growing with “greats”.

They took over the Truck Stop in Eads, Colorado, and operated it for over seven years. During the last year, they also opened a parts store, Kiowa Parts, Inc, which they operated for over 20 years in Eads.

Together they raised their large family through many joys and challenges but always with plenty of love. In their later years, Clark and Charlotte moved to Parker, Colorado, to live with their son Richard but there was nothing Clark enjoyed more than traveling back to his beloved Hawk Ridge where they kept a home and enjoyed looking out on their land from the porch swing out front.

In his final years, their daughter Michele and son-in-law Michael joined Richard in caring for Clark day to day and he was able to live his final days at home.

Clark was preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Mabel Beeson; his children: Dixie, Judy, Donna, Dale, Dottie, Michael, Lyle, Danny; two brothers, Duane and Leonard Beeson; three sisters, Elsie Herndon, Edith Murray, Velma (Midge) Davis; his first wife, Opal Beeson; and five grandchildren.

Clark is survived by his wife Charlotte, his daughter Michele Weygandt and her husband Michael; his son Richard and his wife Katie; his son Mitchell, thirty grandchildren and many great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews who were very special to him.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, Apr 27, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. at Burlington Christian Church, 1564 Senter Avenue, Burlington, Colorado.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Huntingtons Disease Foundation, PO Box 912, Salado, TX 76571 or at HuntingtonsDiseaseFoundation.org

Arrangements were under the direction of Brown Funeral Home.