Partly Cloudy, 35° F
(Oct. 5, 2003)
A memorial service will be conducted Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Johnson Mortuary chapel in Kalispell, Mont., for Robert L. (Bob) Beaver, 82, who died Oct. 5 at the V.A. home in Columbia Falls, Mont.
Mr. Beaver was a former Northwest Community College faculty member.
He was born Nov. 20, 1920, in Denver, Colo., to Laird and Edith Beaver of Bayard, Neb. After graduating from Bayard High School, he attended Nebraska State Teachers College. On Nov. 15, 1941, he married Donna Mae Stertz of Bridgeport, Nebr.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Following his honorable discharge in 1946, he attended the University of Wyoming where he received a bachelor's degree in mathematics, with minors in physical science and speech.
He taught high school math, physics, English, and speech in Superior from 1948-1957. He attended the University of Denver from 1951 to 1953 and received a master's degree in speech. He resumed teaching in Superior in 1953 and served as principal from 1955 to 1957.
In 1957, he attended Harvard University on a National Science Foundation fellowship to study the teaching of mathematics and physics.
He moved his family to Powell in 1958. He was an instructor of math and physics at Northwest Community College from 1958 to 1961 and assistant professor from 1961 to 1966.
In 1967, he moved to Kalispell where he was a founding faculty member of Flathead Valley Community College. He taught mathematics, physics and speech until he retired in 1979.
For many years, Mr. Beaver was active in the Democratic Party. He was a life member of the NRA and enjoyed hunting and fishing with family and friends. He kept numerous tropical fish aquariums and was an avid winemaker.
Survivors include his wife Donna of Kalispell; daughter, Kaye Brabec and husband Michael, of Ann Arbor, Mich.; his son, Jack Beaver and his family with Valerie Bronson, their sons, Norm and Jake Larsen and daughter Alyssa Larsen, all of Kalispell; and four grandchildren.
For those who wish, memorial donations to the Veterans Home in Columbia Falls, P.O. Box 250, Columbia Falls, MT 59912 would be appreciated by the family.
