Robert Alfred Beeley

A native Houstonian, Bob Beeley was born on March 12, 1938, to James and Roberta Beeley. As a boy, he loved Scouting, tinkering with electronics, and spending time on his Uncle Ray's farm in Brenham. Jim and Roberta raised him in the Christian faith at St. John the Divine and later St. Martin's Episcopal Church, where he went on to serve as an usher, Sunday School teacher, and Vestry member, and where he eventually met and married his beloved wife of fifty-six years, Susan Floyd Beeley.

Bob Beeley attended The Kinkaid School at the original campus on Richmond Avenue, where he developed his love of science, engineering, and the arts, and began to provide emergency health care as an ambulance driver for Mercy Corps. He served as Kinkaid's first student body president, acted in several plays, and received the Bausch and Lomb Science Award. Many years later, Bob would become an early adopter of the Apple personal computer, being ahead of his time in appreciating the value of technology in personal life.

After studying at Stanford University, Bob received his Bachelor's in Business Administration degree from The University of Texas at Austin, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

While in California, Bob began his life-long love of flying, training as a private pilot. Back in Texas, he served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force at Ellington Air Force Base. Bob later completed his pilot's training and spent many years enjoying flying Cessna and Beechcraft planes, and eventually earned a jet certification.

From 1993 to his death, Bob proudly served in the Civil Air Patrol. He ended his career as Lieutenant Colonel and Government Relations Officer for the Texas Wing, working tirelessly with the U.S. Congress to secure federal recognition for CAP veterans of WWII and funding for search and rescue missions.

For most of his career, Bob was the founder and CEO of Dixie U.S.A. Inc., an emergency medical equipment and later health food company, where he co-invented and patented several groundbreaking medical devices, including the Thumper CPR Machine.

For several decades, he served as chairman of the board of Dixie Pipe Sales, Inc., a company founded by his grandfather, Alfred Beeley, leading the company through a period of remarkable growth.

As a volunteer, he worked as an Advanced Cardiac Life Support instructor and course developer for the American Heart Association; an instructor for the American Red Cross; commissioner and president of the Rosehill Fire Department; and president of the Rotary Foundation of the Rotary Club of Tomball, where he and Susan spent the final decades of their life together.

He served on many boards throughout his life, including those of Harrisburg Bank, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, The John Cooper School, and the Tomball Chamber of Commerce.

Bob Beeley was a man of many talents and joys. He was a lifelong photographer, having his first darkroom as a teenager, and an incessant DIY aficionado. He was a beautiful pianist and a fabulous ballroom dancer. He was a longtime member of River Oaks Country Club, and he and Susan enjoyed many years of dinner-dance clubs. They were also devoted patrons of the Houston Symphony.

Bob's charismatic personality, generous spirit, and lively sense of humor endeared him to all who knew him. He never met a stranger, and he never sat still. His greatest loves in life were his Lord, his family, his community, and his country.

Robert Beeley was preceded in death by his father, James Alfred Beeley, his mother, Roberta Moore Beeley, and his sisters, Rebecca Beeley Watkins and Linda Beeley Denison.

He is survived by his wife, Susan Floyd Beeley, and their three children: Christopher Alfred Beeley and wife Shannon Murphy Beeley of Dallas, Texas; Mark James Beeley of New York, New York; and Elizabeth Beeley Hemphill and husband James Tripp Hemphill of Oxfordshire, England. Bob cherished spending time with his grandchildren, Reed Alfred Beeley and wife Callie McKenzie Beeley, Corin Murphy Beeley, Camilla Anastasia Beeley, and Elena Beeley.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00am on Friday, February 2nd at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road, Houston, TX 77056, followed by a reception. Those unable to attend may watch the live-stream at https://stmartinsepiscopal.org/funerals/

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family invites contributions in Bob's memory to be made to St. Martin's Episcopal Church, the Rotary Foundation, or the medical research charity of one's choice.