Tributes

Nadine Beech, 84, of Parsons, Kans., passed away on July 9 in Bryn Mawr, Pa. She was born May 5, 1940, in Butte, Mont., to Thomas H. and Laura L. (Williams) Pedlar. The family moved to Parsons in 1947 after living during World War II in Oakland and Chicago while Mr. Pedlar was in the Navy. Nadine graduated from Parsons High School in 1958, and from the University of Kansas in 1962 with a degree in business administration. In September 1962, she wed Gary Beech, also of Parsons. They were married for 61 years before her death. Gary, a 1959 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, was an officer in the Army, and the newlywed couple moved to Karlsruhe, Germany, where they lived for three years. Nadine often told stories of their time traveling through Europe, learning about the culture, skiing in the Alps and enjoying many other adventures. They moved back to the States in 1965 and raised two children together. Throughout the first two decades of their marriage, Gary and Nadine lived on Army posts around the country—everywhere from Fort Belvoir, Va., to Fort Leavenworth, Kans.—before moving to Milwaukee following Gary’s retirement from the Army in 1985. In Wisconsin, Gary worked for the engineering firm CH2M Hill, while Nadine spent many hours volunteering for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2000, Gary’s job took them to Parker, Colo., where they lived until this year. In addition to being a loving wife, mother and grandmother, Nadine was a dedicated and gifted equestrienne. She started riding when she was seven years old, after persuading her father to get her a horse. She kept the horse, Ace, in the barn on the Pedlar family property in Parsons and taught herself to ride in the fields behind her home—and she never looked back. Her unwavering passion for horses continued for the rest of her life, and her knowledge of them knew no limits. After riding hunter-jumper with her horses Rusty and Bart Cutta in the 1970s and early ’80s, she began training as a competitive dressage rider, a discipline she pursued until just a few years ago with her horses Infinity, Fhallko and Gameboy. Together in their later years, Nadine and Gary traveled the world, visiting such places as China, Egypt, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Russia and Singapore. Nadine loved the outdoors. She was an avid walker, gardener, hiker and skier. She enjoyed white water rafting on the Colorado River with her family until only a few years ago. She was also a voracious reader and she loved to cook. She passed many of these traits on to her children and grandchildren, all of whom she adored. Nadine is survived by her husband, Gary, her daughter, Cynthia (Christopher), and her son, Mark (Allison), and by her four grandchildren: Anthony, Miranda, Nate and Annie. She is also survived by her horse, Gameboy, who brought her so much joy over the past six years. She was preceded in death by her sister, Linda Godbey, of Parsons, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 69. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the ALS Association in memory of Nadine’s sister, Linda. www.als.org Her Funeral service will be at the Old Cadet Cemetery in West Point, NY, on Sept. 3, 2024, at 10 a.m. .

Tributes

Nadine L. Beech

May 5, 1940 - July 9, 2024