Eugene "Gene" Beckman

Eugene “Gene” J. Beckman, 83, of Moline, passed away Friday April 12, 2024.

A memorial service will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Moline, Illinois, on Saturday, April 20^th at 11:30 AM. Visitation will precede the service at 10:30 AM at the church and a luncheon will follow. Burial will be in Moline Memorial Park.  Memorials may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church.  

Gene was born on May 25, 1940, in Brookings, South Dakota; he was the fourth and last child of Eugene J. and Dorothy Beckman. His father owned the Brookings John Deere implement and hardware store where Gene worked during the summers. He played football and basketball in high school and enjoyed a unique childhood living in a small town that was also home to South Dakota State University. He graduated in the 1958 class of Brookings High and then left South Dakota to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He studied mechanical engineering and participated in a work-study co-op program with John Deere Harvester in East Moline, ultimately leading to his engineering career with John Deere. He joined the National Guard, stationed in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and later attended graduate school for mechanical engineering back at Northwestern University. During this time, he met his future wife Mary Alice, who taught French at a local Chicago high school. They were married in June 1968. 

Gene and Mary Alice settled in Moline, Illinois and raised three children: David, Matt, and Sarah - all graduates of Moline High School. He was extremely involved with his children and their activities. He loved coaching their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams and kept records of all the times at high school swim and track meets. His favorite activity was driving cross-country on family camping vacations, including trips to most of America’s national parks. Gene’s family was active at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Moline, and this congregation ultimately became like a family to him. Throughout his life, he enjoyed an active lifestyle: teaching his kids how to ski, participating in running races alongside his daughter, and continuing a lifetime of fitness at the local YMCA. He was very grateful for his long-term Moline neighbors and spent a lot of time walking his neighborhood. Highlights for him were the annual family reunions, traveling to see family and friends across the country, and he often reminisced about an incredible trip to Israel with Mary Alice, shortly before her death in 2019. He counts among his greatest blessings marrying his wife, his three children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren.

Gene will be fondly remembered as a storyteller, by his calm presence, as a generous giver, as a dedicated father, and most of all as a man who quietly and unwaveringly lived out his faith in the Lord. He conducted his life according to his “life verses” of the Bible: running the race well with purpose to receive the eternal prize (I Corinthians 9) and setting eternal priorities above earthly ones (Matthew 16:26).

Survivors include his children, David (Charlene) Beckman, residing in Santa Barbara, CA; Matthew (Angie) Beckman, residing in Waukee, IA; Sarah (Michael) Gratton, residing in Lafayette, CA; grandchildren who know him as “Papa”: Cody, Quinn, Kai (their mother, Stacey Beckman), Elise, Elena, Evelyn, and Aaron; and step-grandchildren: Hayley, Cody, Isabel, and Greenlee. 

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Alice, and brother Lloyd and sister Joan.

The March 20, 2024 service recording and the order of service can be viewed at https://www.holycrossmoline-lcms.org/ for those who were unable to attend or watch the livestream.

Memories may be shared online by visiting esterdahl.com.