William’s children were proud to have him as their father. Like a blast from the past, he could reiterate his life experiences over almost a century, in detail. From 1914 to 2011, we fought two world wars, invented television, broke the sound barrier, put a man on the moon, and are now exploring Mars. What an amazing life!
William was born April 15, 1914, in Los Angeles, California, and was his father’s pride and joy. At little more than 2 years of age, he stayed with his father in the Yucaipa Hotel where he awoke before his father, dressed, and ran downstairs to order his own breakfast. As a three-year-old, he memorized his father’s office number, Main 825, and surprised him by calling frequently at the Los Angeles Produce Market. He played in his father’s orchards in Yucaipa, where the family moved during the summer of 1919. Sadly, William’s father died before he was nine years old.
As a teenager, William was always busy. He was a good student who excelled in math and science. At fifteen, he earned an amateur radio license, and his license has been active for more than 80 years. At seventeen, hard work in the family orchards sustained him and his family. He also graduated from Redlands High School. When the Depression came, prices dropped and fruit could not be given away. William and his younger brother cut down all the fruit trees to use as firewood.
At nineteen, he was voluntarily recruited into the Civilian Conservation Corp at Camp Lytle Creek in the San Gabriel Mountains, where small work details completed forestry projects. He received $30 per month, $25 of which went to his family.
Like many families from early 1900 through the 1920s, the Beasleys prospered during the boom, but barely survived the bust. Although jobs were hard to find, William continued to help his mother and his younger brother. He worked for a furniture store, a hardware store, a milling company, and a small radio shop. In 1940, he was classified 1A, but was not drafted for WWII because of his work with Bendix Aviation in Burbank. With his radio background, he was sent to different aircraft plants to problem-solve radio issues. Then, with just a high school education, he worked at Bendix as a Test Engineer with sonar and transducers in research and development for the Navy until 1970. With early retirement, he went to work at Lockheed on airplanes.
William had a stable job when he finally married. He met Bonnie Mae Neel in 1940 and married her in 1942. Bonnie (San Fernando, CA) survives him after 68-1/2 years of marriage. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Ellis Pitt and Mildred Jones, as well as his younger brother, Joseph Overbey Beasley and two grandsons, Dean Evan and Kevin Patrick Becker. He is survived by his five children, as well as nephews, nieces and cousins across the country. William also had nine living grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
From a beautiful child, William grew into a loving son. He worked hard and married a good woman. He always helped his children with their math and science homework, took them for pony rides and camping trips, and gave history lessons during vacations. They often balked at the car rides, but grew to appreciate nature. Unlike William, all of them attended college, an opportunity he and Bonnie created. He loved his wife dearly and stated recently that, “she’s as pretty as she always was.”
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