Allen Burgn Beach, 71, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010. Mr. Beach was born Feb. 10, 1939, in Dubuque, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering. While in graduate school at Iowa State he was a member of the Air Force ROTC following which he was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the Air Force Armament Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base. After completing his commitment to the Air Force Mr. Beach resigned his commission but remained at Eglin Air Force Base as a civilian engineer in research and development.
Mr. Beach loved and took great pride in his work. At the time of his death, Mr. Beach was the program manager for a 70 million dollar military construction program to upgrade the High Explosive Research and Development (HERD) facilities at Eglin Air Force Base. With over 40 years of experience, Mr. Beach possessed a wealth of knowledge in the study of energetic materials and warhead design and development. He applied that background toward the design and construction of energetic materials research and weapons testing facilities. Mr. Beach recently saw some of his work come to fruition with the completion of the Advanced Warheads Evaluation Facility’s (AWEF) new office/collaboration building at the HERD complex. Mr. Beach was a patriot dedicated to our nation’s defense.
Another of Mr. Beach’s great joys was spending time with his family and friends. He was a lifelong bachelor, and although he did not have any relatives in the local area, he did enjoy a loving family. He loved and was loved by many, especially the Grimmonpré family of Fort Walton Beach. Mr. Beach loved and cared for his three “adopted” daughters, Jennifer, Rebecca and Holly Grimmonpré, and their father Mark, one of his best friends for 30 years.
Mr. Beach was predeceased by his mother, Helen McGinnis Beach and his father, James Wilson Beach of DeKalb, Ill. He is survived by his brother, Edward James Beach and his wife Lynne Allen Beach of Freehold, N.J.; and two nephews, David Allen Beach of Broomfield, Colo., and Kevin James Beach of West Orange, N.J., and their families. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends and co-workers.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010, at First Presbyterian Church, 134 Beal Parkway, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., with a reception immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718. Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at www.mclaughlinmortuary.com
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Northwest Florida Daily News, December 28, 2010.
[S15] Internet.
1939 - 2010 (71 years)
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