Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Ivon Winton Beck, 92, a resident of The Dalles, Ore., passed away peacefully on Monday, May 11, 2015, saying he wanted to go be with Mary his beloved wife of 70 years who died in March of this year.
Ivon was born October 9, 1922 in Portland, Ore., to Hans and Hazel (Hallam) Beck. He attended Lents Elementary School and Commerce (now Cleveland) high school. He worked as a pin setter at a local bowling alley and as a bicycle and motorbike messenger before getting a job as a machinist in the Kaiser shipyards of Portland. He enlisted in the Navy and served from 1942 until December 1945. On February 19, 1945 he and Mary Duckworth were married in Washington DC. After a brief trip to Boston Mass., to meet Mary's family, they traveled across the United States taking the southern route to Portland over the winter of 1946.
They resided in Portland and Seaside for several years, and then settled in The Dalles Ore., in 1957 where Ivon was a branch manager for Carnation Milk Company. He worked as regional sales manager until the closing of the branch in the 1970s shortly after home delivery of milk became a thing of the past. He was offered a position with the company in Portland but chose to remain in their home in The Dalles where he established a small local supply business and managed several rental properties. He was a member of the Elks Lodge and a long-term and loyal volunteer for Meals on Wheels with his close friend Alvin Clark. He enjoyed bowling, gardening, furniture refinishing, coin collecting and poker playing. His prolific tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis were shared throughout the neighborhood. His wonderful smile and laugh will be missed by many.
Ivon was preceded in death by his wife Mary of The Dalles, Ore., his son Richard, his brother Verden Beck and his sister Lorna (Beck) Kuhlman.
He is survived by his son Alan Beck and his wife Karen of Warrenton, Ore., and daughter Kathy Beck of Portland, Ore. Two grandchildren Michelle and Daniel Beck and one great-grandchild Travis also survive.
A Service of Remembrance will be held at The Springs at Mill Creek Point, The Springs Room, at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2015.
Interment will be at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Ore.
Memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels, 1112 W. 9th St., The Dalles, OR 97058.
To plant a tree in memory of Ivon Beck as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
