William "Bill" H. Beach

William H. “Bill” Beach, 83 years of age, passed away on Friday, April 2, 2021. Founder and CEO of Beach Mold & Tool, Inc., Bill was born November 10, 1937 in Greenville, Indiana to the late Covert and Clara (Kiesler) Beach. Encouraged by his father, a farmer and elementary school principal, he discovered mechanical skills at an early age.

Bill enrolled in New Albany High School’s vocational education program where he found he enjoyed designing and building tools. In a 1955 senior class project, he made a metal drill press that is still working today. That press was the front runner of many other tools built by Beach over the past 40 years. Bill’s vocational classes and teachers at New Albany High School were instrumental in his career path as a toolmaker and entrepreneur.

Beach went on to Ahren’s Trade School in Louisville, Kentucky, then worked for a local company for 16 years before founding Beach Mold & Tool in 1972.

The company was proud to be one of New Albany’s largest private sector employers as well as a nationally recognized leader in plastic injection molding industry. The company was the 58th largest injection molder in North America. Customers included Fortune 500 companies, shipping globally within a variety of markets including major automotive manufacturers, medical component suppliers, consumer product manufacturers and business system companies. The company’s competition was plastic injection molders and assembly companies throughout the United States and the world.

In 2005 Bill was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana Business Hall of Fame. In March 2016 One Southern Indiana presented a new award to Beach Mold & Tool, Inc. It is the Business Retention and Expansion Project of the Year Award given to Beach, “the manufacturing entity headquartered in New Albany and dealing in plastic injection molding technologies, precision tool making and processing completed assemblies for global customer base.”

In addition to Beach’s business success, Bill and his company was active in the community. He and his wife, Juanita, have contributed time and financial support through American Cancer Society events, Hosparus, Indiana University, Kentucky Derby Festival and others, including an employee organization, the Beach Mold & Tool Wishing Well, established twenty years ago to fulfill the wishes of terminally ill children.

Bill was also a longtime member of Holy Family Catholic Church in New Albany. His hobbies included traveling, snowmobile riding, fishing, model airplanes, and spending time with his cats, Casper and Jasper.

In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his sisters, Sr. Catherine Beach, OSB, Julia Beach Bierman (June); brothers, Louis Beach (Virginia), Robert Beach (Ann), Herman Beach (Mary).

Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Juanita Rake Beach; daughters, Cheryl Beach Korb, Vickie Beach Batliner (Doug); sister, Kathleen Kruer (Roy); brother-in-laws, Corky Rake (Sharon), Gil Rake (Renee); granddaughters, Megan Batliner Cahill, Jessica Batliner Neumann; grandsons, Nathan Korb, Dustin Korb; great grandchildren, Gavin, Hudson, Beckett, Camden, Ayden, Brinley, Josie, and Jack; several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday and after 8:00 am Tuesday at Kraft Funeral Service, 708 E. Spring St., New Albany, Indiana. His Funeral Mass will be held 11:00 am Tuesday at Holy Family Catholic Church, 129 W. Daisy Lane, New Albany, Indiana with entombment to follow at Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park in New Albany, Indiana.

The family requests expressions of sympathy to Hosparus or National Parkinson’s Foundation.

Online condolences may be made to: www.kraftfuneralservice.net