Kenneth Jay Beckwith, our beloved father, grandfather and brother, passed away at his daughter’s home in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Sept. 12. He was 84 years old.
Ken was a mechanic, millwright welder and accomplished pilot. He retired as the maintenance supervisor of the PP&L coal-fired power plants west of the Mississippi in 1990. He returned to school and earned a Certificate of Higher Education in Jet Aircraft Maintenance and got a job repairing jet engines. He became an expert in ballistics and was a lifetime athlete.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard Harrison Beckwith and Rosa Belle Blair; his wife, Patricia Mae Beckwith; his brothers, David Beckwith and Richard Keith Beckwith; his granddaughter, Stephanie Gil; and his daughter-in-law, Tammy Beckwith.
He is survived by his three children: Lisa Rae Beckwith of Boise; Lori Jae Beckwith of Cottonwood Heights, Utah; and Richard Warren Beckwith of Rock Springs. He is also survived by his son-in-law, Nolan Letellier of Boise, Idaho; his sisters: Diane Castleton and her husband, Neil, of Pocatello, Idaho; and Sheila Reeder of Seabeck, Washington; his grandchildren, Claude Sageon Beckwith and wife Hannah of Olympia, Washington; August Aschel Beckwith of Cottonwood Heights, Utah; Luci Letellier and Finch Letellier of Boise; Melody Rose and her husband, Mike, of Colorado; and Cameron Hill of Denver.
A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, at the LDS Church in Mountain View, 116 4th St. A family viewing was held at 1 p.m.