SALEM, OREGON – Norman Beukelman went home to be
with the
Lord on April 24, 2009 at the age of 79.
He was born in Harrison, South Dakota, on November 29, 1929 to
Harold & Egberdena Beukelman. The family left the Dakota’s during the Dust
Bowl and eventually moved to Lynden, Wash.
Norm was a member of the football team at Lynden High School and
was an
accomplished trombonist. He graduated in
1948 and met his future wife, Kathleen Van de Kamp at school that same
year. They were married in 1950 where
they started their first dairy farm in Lynden and had another in
Everson,
Wash. In 1962 they moved to Caldwell,
Idaho for health reasons and farmed sugar beets, alfalfa seed and
potatoes. He then went into Real Estate
sales where he concentrated on farms and ranches. The
family moved to Yakima, Wash. for housing
sales and then settled in the Portland Oregon area.
Norm worked for the Portland Development
Commission as the real estate buyer for them and was instrumental in
acquiring
the land for the present day Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
He then started his own business in window
coverings installation, eventually moving into residential and
commercial sales
as well. His reputation as an honest man
followed him wherever he went and his customers did the same. Norm and Kathleen worked side-by-side for 50
of their 58 years of marriage.
Norm loved
fishing, especially for salmon on the Columbia River.
He and Kathleen loved RV’ing and Norm’s
favorite was his 35’ Pace Arrow which he thoroughly enjoyed driving. He also enjoyed nothing more than getting
together for family occasions and having all the children, grand
children, and
great grand children together for a loud and raucous good time.
Norman is
survived by his wife of 58 years, Kathleen D. Beukelman; brother,
Marvin (Ida)
Beukelman of Holland, MI; sons, James (Kathy) of Salem, OR, Charles
(Deborah)
of Redmond, OR, Richard (JoAnne) of Lake Oswego, OR, Dean (Shawnda) of
La
Center WA, and Paul (Vickie) of Redmond, OR; 16 grandchildren, and 7
great-grand children.
A memorial
service will be held at Faith Assembly in Lacey, WA on Saturday, May 2nd
at 1:00 PM for family and friends.
In lieu of
flowers, donations may be made to Faith Harvest Helpers, P.O. Box
14672, Tumwater, WA, 98511.