Charles J Beverlin

C. Jack Beverlin was born on May 17, 1918 in Wray, Colorado, the eldest child of Nina and Charles Beverlin. His childhood was spent working on the farm and enjoying the pleasures of an extended family in rural America. At a young age, he began working as a truck driver—the first sign that his yen to wander would play a large part in his life.

Along the highways of life, he met up with a pretty young thing, one Marjory Faye Rowden. The two soon fell in love and hitched their wagon to travel a road which would lead to 72 years of married rambles. Along with their daughter, Sharley, they moved to McGrath Alaska in 1947. They built a log cabin along the banks of the Kuskokwim River, in McGrath and worked for 5 years as missionaries for the Assembly of God church.

As Jack was a man unafraid of extremes, he naturally left Alaska to live permanently in Florida. His work at Cape Canaveral during the heyday of the space program, gave him an opportunity to exercise his attention to detail and his relentless work ethic. As a mechanic on many of the storied programs—Titan, Mariner and Atlas, to name a few-- he helped launch America into the space race. His work on Mariner 6—the first dual mission to Mars, resulted in NASA honoring him with The Medal for Exceptional Bravery. He and another propulsion technician risked their own safety to rescue the Atlas/Centaur missile from destruction as it malfunctioned during a pre-launch test. His bravery and hard work during this part of his life were a hallmark of his character familiar to all who have known Jack in any capacity.

Jack’s retirement included legendary road trips with his lifetime companion. Marge and Jack would set out in their “5th Wheel” and spend months traveling the roads of the United States and Canada. They would visit relatives—In upstate New York, his sister Lucille and her family, nieces Nancy and Sandy; In Colorado his brother Gary and sister-in-law Vi; their children—in Dallas Don, his wife Kathy and their children and in New Mexico his nephew Dave and his wife Lori along with their children; all these nieces nephews and great-nieces and nephews adored their “Uncle Jack”. His sense of fun and adventure added a cheery note to any room he entered.

Over the years, he and Marge also spent countless hours traveling by car and RV and plane to visit his daughter’s family in California--Sharley and her husband Bob; their children Lecia(Gregg), and Shawn (Charlie). Jack committed his time to these trips and bridged the geographical distance to maintain relationships with his daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (Maura, Simone, Lucas, and Rhiana) He will be missed by all of them tremendously.

By far the largest part of Jack’s life was his dedication to worship. His interest in people and his integrity of character served him well in this pursuit. He spent many years as a member of the Assembly of God church in Cocoa, Florida. His early work as a missionary formed the basis of his dedication to religion as an ongoing aspect of his daily life. He enjoyed being a teacher

at Sunday School, a church Deacon, usher, offering taker, money counter, you name it he was willing to do it!

Jack’s mental acuity and physical strength lasted well into his later years. At 93, he walked his daughter down the aisle as she renewed her wedding vows of 50 years. Commitment, longevity and persistence have been the watchwords of Jack’s life. His can-do spirit will be missed—but his imprint has indelibly marked anyone who has come to know him well during the almost 95 years he graced this planet.

A Memorial Service for Jack will be held 11AM Saturday March 23, 2013 at Cocoa First Assembly of God.