Richard Raymond "Dick" Beck

Richard Raymond “Dick” Beck, 83, died peacefully on February 6, 2014. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He is survived by his wife, Sheila Beck, two sons and their wives, Rick and Pegi Beck and John and Christi Beck, and two daughters, Ginger Beck Voss and Debbie Beck Alsup and her husband, Jim Alsup. “Pop-Pop” is also survived by, and dearly loved by his grandchildren, Caroline, Sally, and Annie Alsup, John and Joseph Voss, and Matthew and Allison Beck. Dick was a first-generation American, born in Newark, New Jersey on April 28, 1930, to parents who immigrated from Germany and Czechoslovakia. His mother is registered on the wall at Ellis Island. His father died when Dick was only 12 years old. Dick worked during high school in the mail room for Employers Mutual of Wausau Insurance Company in Newark. He excelled in high school and attended Rutgers University, but left to work at Employers Mutual in New York City to help support his mother. He met Sheila at a company picnic for Employers Mutual, where she worked in the secretarial pool. They married in 1951. Soon thereafter, he was drafted by the Army, and together Sheila and Dick moved to Anchorage Alaska where he served during the Korean War as a transportation specialist, planning the precise loading of ships carrying military equipment. After completing his military duties, he returned to the insurance industry with Aetna Insurance Company, where he would work for the next 20-plus years. He and Sheila moved their growing family from Des Moines, Iowa, to Omaha, Nebraska, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C., as Dick advanced up the Aetna corporate ladder. The family made the big move to Texas in 1973 when Dick accepted a Senior Vice-Presidency with Houston General Insurance Company, and then Equitable Insurance Company, in Ft. Worth. He went on to co-own his own insurance agency, and finally retired from the insurance industry in 1999. He and Sheila moved to Georgetown, Texas in 2000 to be close to their daughters. Dick truly achieved the American Dream: although he never obtained a college degree, through hard work and determination, he rose from the mailroom to the upper echelons of the insurance industry and was highly-regarded in his field. Dick’s life was characterized by sweetness, integrity, and humility. He was a member of San Gabriel Presbyterian Church. He loved the Lord, his family, and golf. He was partial to Jordan Almonds and Granny Beck’s lentil soup. He always enjoyed a good conversation. He will be dearly missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

Richard Raymond "Dick" Beck

April 28, 1930 - February 6, 2014