Andre Francis Beck

Andre Francis Beck passed away peacefully at home on February 17, 2021 with his family by his side.  He was 83 years old.Andre was born on February 14, 1938 in Kansas City, MO.  He was the youngest of 7 children.  He spent his first years on a farm and had two cows he dearly loved, Pumpkin and Diamond.  At 5 years old he moved to Sunnyslope, AZ with his family where he spent the rest of his younger years.  He always said one of his favorite childhood memories was climbing all over the mountains and desert to go dove hunting.  Growing up he often went shooting with his brothers and improved his aim with lots of target practice.  He attended Sunnyslope High School where he was a quarterback on the football team with his favorite number 38 on his jersey, and graduated in 1957.  In his Senior year of high school, he bought a white ‘55 Ford with beige interior. This car meant the world to him because it was almost brand new when he bought it.Andre met the love of his life, Barbara, while she was a cashier at the local drug store.  After several attempts she finally agreed to get a soda with him.  They were married in Winterhaven, CA on August 15, 1960, and as fate would have it, they would be married for 60 1/2 years.  Andre raved about Barbara’s cooking and he would jokingly say he married her because she cooked like his mother, with lots of gravies, sauces, and desserts, but everyone knew his love for her ran so much deeper than that. Andre and Barbara had 3 children, Don, Christine, and Michael.The family moved to Anaheim, CA in 1965 where they bought their first home on Hazelwood in 1966.  He quickly went to work at a nearby gas station and later started his career as a Quality Engineer at Alcoa where he retired after 30 years.  He then went to work as a Quality Engineer at Boeing for 4 additional years.  Andre was a hard worker.  He worked lots of overtime hours to pay off their house early, and attended night school to promote within the company.  However, he did enjoy the simple things in life. Everyday after work Andre would enjoy his cheese and wine on the patio as he opened the mail, and on Fridays he would bring home a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Barbara.  After retirement, Andre and Barbara would run errands together.  Usually that entailed a late breakfast at IHOP or early lunch at Black Angus, and then grocery shopping where Andre would wait in the car to people watch while Barbara went in to shop for a good hour or so.Andre never missed an opportunity to be involved in his kids lives.  He took his oldest son on his first hunting trip where they trophied a javelina.  Many years he stepped up to the plate to coach his daughter’s softball team and beamed with joy as he bragged about her pitching skills.  He helped his youngest son build a float which was showcased in the Anaheim Children’s Halloween Parade.  Andre and Barbara purchased a camper in 1970 which they owned for several years and took their kids on 3 road trips across the US from coast to coast. They also frequented the cabin they owned in Crestline, CA between 1978 and 1985.  It meant a lot to Andre to be able to give his family his time and create experiences they would treasure forever.Andre and Barbara’s grandkids would often spend the night at their house.  As he tucked them into bed, he would tell whatever dog they had at the time to lay next to them and to watch over them. The next morning he would tell them that the dog had slept next to them all night.  It was important to Andre that his grandkids always felt welcome, protected, and loved in his home.Andre had a soft spot for his pets and befriended many over his 83 years including several dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and a turtle.  His first dog, Chow, used to love to go to the store with him because he knew he would get a treat.  He loved to spend time with his dogs taking walks around the block, and had a special talent for training them. He even trained his daughter’s dog, Mandy, to balance a piece of cheese on her nose for a good 30 seconds and not eat it until he said it was ok, then she would flick it up and catch it in her mouth.  He was very proud of that one.A highlight in Andre’s life was riding motorcycles.  He would take Barbara and they would spend hours riding the open highways through the desert. They loved going on motorcycle runs near and far.  It was a form of meditation for him until he had two bad motorcycle accidents and finally decided to give up his motorcycles in his later years.  He credits Saint Christopher for protecting him through those accidents, as he always wore his Saint Christopher medal around his neck.Andre had many hobbies throughout his lifetime, including collecting and shooting guns, researching family history, and keeping up with consumer reports and stocks.  He could often be found under one of the cars fixing a problem, caring for his beautiful Rose gardens, tending to his pool, or listening to music on his headphones while taking a nap before bedtime.  One of Andre’s favorite pastimes was community involvement.  He and Barbara were lifetime members of the Sunnyslope Historical Society.  He attended meetings for the West Anaheim Neighborhood Development Council, took Public Awareness Through Citizen Education classes, and enjoyed the occasional “ride-along” to experience Anaheim through the eyes of a police officer first-hand.  Andre and Barbara bowled on a Vegas league for several years and enjoyed going to see live shows. They always went to see Neil Diamond and Elvis impersonators whenever they appeared locally. Andre enjoyed good conversations with missionaries from the LDS church, and took an interest in everyone he met. Often times it felt like an interview, but he genuinely wanted to know the stories of other people’s lives.In 2018, Andre was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he quickly overcame after 9 weeks of radiation.  Despite the challenging time, he considered himself lucky to “have it so easy” and wore the badge of “cancer survivor” with honor.Andre loved when his family would visit him.  The great-grandkids would climb all over him just as much as his grandkids did and his heart swelled when they would love on him.  He particularly enjoyed celebrating his 60th wedding anniversary with Barbara, as his whole family gathered at their house for a weekend of good food, swimming in the pool, and laughing together.  As the patriarch, Andre took pride in his family, and let everyone know it was his greatest accomplishment.  Whether it was an award ceremony, baseball or softball game, hunting trip, Father / Daughter dance, backyard poolside BBQ, or birthday party, his favorite moments were always those that included the ones he loved.Andre was proceeded in death by his father, mother, 5 brothers, and one sister. He is survived by his wife (Barbara), 3 children (Don, Christine, Michael), 5 grandchildren (Rich, Amy, Kaitie, Kelly, Julie), and 5 great-grandchildren (Max, Johnny, Autumn, Beau, Olivia).