Funeral services for Melford Ray Beamon, 80,  of Lebanon were held Dec. 27 at Hunter Funeral Home. His son, James Beamon, and Rev. Don Mathis officiated, with interment with military honors at Wilson County Memorial Park in Lebanon.
Mr. Beamon passed away Dec.23 at his residence after an extended illness with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
Born in Independence, Kansas, he was the son of the late Ernest R. and Hazel Beamon and was preceded in death by his sister, Earldene Tanner.
He graduated from Danville, Illinois High School in 1951 and recieved his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1956 from the University of Illinois.
He served in the U.S. Corp of Engineers, both active duty and reserve duty, achieving the rank of 1st lieutenant. In 1962, he joined Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis, in the engineering department. His career at Lilly continued until his retirement in 1991. Assignments included project engineering, production assignment and the role of Manager of Engineering and Maintence at the Clinton, IN plant.
Mr. Beamon and his wife, Patricia, moved to Watertown in 1994,  and to Lebanon in 2005.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Watertown.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Patricia Zue Ashworth Beamon; children, James R. Beamon  and wife Isabel of Hawaii, and Ronald  J. Beamon and his wife Penny of Franklin; grandchildren, A.J. (Nora) Beamon and Nick Beamon of Virginia, Ross Beamon of Hawaii, Adrin Chism of Nebraska, Heather Beamon and Hilary Beamon, both of Tennessee, Adam (Michelle) Sanborn of South Korea, Taylor Rhea of New York, and Benjamin Rhea of Tennessee; and his great-grandaughter, Peyton Beamon of Virginia.
Pallbearers were family members.
Hunter Funeral Home, Lebanon, was in charge of arrangements.
SMITHVILLE REVIEW
Smithville, TN
January 1, 2014