Happy Birthday Dad

Dad would have been 67 today and we would have been planning how to celebrate over the weekend with the family. I know the deck would have been involved, grilling, drinking, laughing and happiness. And most likely, at some point he would have fallen asleep on the couch. :)

It's hard to remember that Dad would rather us celebrate him rather than morn. It's hard not to think of him daily, sometimes the tears come and sometimes they are held back. But the amount of missing him never ceases.

Mom recently asked for Shell and I to send her what we said at the service for Dad. We sent them yesterday and after rereading them, these feeling for Dad are just as strong and true today as they were over a year ago, and as they will be 100 years from today.

Here is what Shell said:
Thank you all so much for coming out this morning to celebrate my father’s life. To come up here and summarize all that my father was and all that he means to me is truly an impossible task. My father is Jerry Beck. A statement that I have always been, and will always be, proud to shout from the rooftops. That is why it is so important to me that I at least try to share a bit of Dad with you from my perspective.

My dad lived and loved with a passion for life that is second to none. He is the patriarch of a very large and loving family that not only includes those that were born or married into his family, but all those that he has loved and loves him right back. He had an amazing capacity of love that was genuine and he always greeted you with a smile and a hug or a handshake that left you with the feeling that you were indeed the most important person in the room.

Dad told us that we are to celebrate his life and he didn’t want any whining. (Direct Quote.) So, please indulge me as I do my best to celebrate him with you.
I have had the opportunity to share many of dad’s passions in life and in doing so, I was able to meet a lot of people that have known Dad and took the time to tell me what a great person he is, often with a bit of humor. One of dad’s passions was his work. I was very fortunate to work at NAVAIR and on my first day there, people would come up to me and introduce themselves because they knew I was Jerry Beck’s daughter and often, with a grin and a handshake, offer their “condolences”. Of course I giggled but most of all I was proud. My dad was a very well respected man and it was an honor to wear the badge of “Jerry Beck’s daughter.”

One of Dad’s passions was music. I just love the fact that my dad was a Mummer. For those of you who know what a Mummer is, that needs no explanation needed. For those of you who don’t know what a Mummer is, there is NO explanation possible. I have had the honor of being on Broad Street with the parade on New Year’s Day and got to watch my dad enjoy himself like a child. There again, people would make a point to meet me so they could tell me what a great guy my dad is and how much they enjoy knowing him.

Of course his greatest passion was his family. He LOVED his family very much and he let everyone know it. He was a grandfather and he LOVED each and every minute of it. He has two grandsons and a granddaughter that would make his face light up whenever they walked into the room or whenever he would talk about them or just think about them. My son’s have always been referred to by my father as “my boys.” Once in a while he would share them with me and refer to them as “our boys.” But I always knew the truth – they were his boys.

He was a father. He was a FANTASTIC father. We always knew we were loved and we always knew he was proud of each of us. He was our Dad, our Pop, our Daddy and our friend.

Dad’s greatest passion was my mom. My brother, my sister and I are the children of a true love affair.

There is no doubt in my mind that Dad has left behind a legacy that has left this world a better place.

I thank God every day that He blessed me with the honor of being Jerry Beck’s daughter.

And here is what I said:
I am never more proud then when someone tells me I am like my father. This is something Michele, Tim and I work towards our whole lives and it is what we try to pass along to his grandchildren.

Dad’s lessons were not just discussed but shown to us in his character every day. Family above all, work smart and work hard, cherish your friends, respect others, be dependable and find the laughter.

Finding the ability to laugh has helped us through these past few months. I think the ER and oncology ward will remember the Becks for quite a while. And it will help us for years to come to handle the loss of Dad.

We have an enormous hole left in all of our lives now but we cannot ask why me, why us, because that is something Dad never did. All of us in this room were so blessed to have known him. To have had him take your hand strong, smile while looking in your eyes, you felt lifted because you knew he meant that handshake and he was genuinely happy to see you or was proud of one of your accomplishments, no matter how small.

We need your help to fill that hole left open by sharing your stories. Some stories have been told many, many times – usually over the card table - others we forgot and need to be reminded of, volumes we have yet to hear. And then there are the stories that the kids in the room will have to wait to hear until they are older; and we all have at least one of these stories. Tell them every day especially today, Dad encouraged telling a good joke, even at a funeral, and through these stories and laughter we will find our strength.

Dad lead an amazing life, one that he was very proud of - his accomplishments, his career, his strength over adversity, his dear circle of friends, and most importantly of his family. He will live on forever in all of our hearts and will be seen reflected in Michael, Christopher and Tatum.

On behalf of my Mom and our families we thank you for coming today. Please join us at Rustico to continue to celebrate the greatest man I have ever known, Jerry Beck.


My mom spoke as well, I will have to see if she is OK with me posting her words that were so close to her heart for the love of her life. I bet no one was more surprised than Dad at Mom getting up to speak. We were all proud of her and her strength. Still are. Tim's job at the service was to keep Dad's girls together - it was a tough job and one that he continues to do every day. Recently Shell and I were talking and we realized that all of us have picked up something Dad did that we need; whether it be an ear, encouraging word, constructive suggestions, or build us up to make us feel special. And that would make Dad proud, which we all strived to do.

We are lucky to have a father that we loved that much and that we miss this much. Very, Very lucky. We are also very lucky to have the rest of our friends and family who continue to fill our lives with grilling, drinking, laughing and happiness.

Happy Birthday Dad. We love you.