Stanton Lars Beck June 16, 1929 - September 15, 2001
Uncle Stan passed away 10 years ago today. Uncle Stan was such a character, and lived his life to the beat of his own drum. I didn't get to know him until Grandma moved to Carlsbad from Clear Lake. I was sixteen, and so I drove her to Riverside to have lunch with him and Violet (an old friend of the Beck family.) After lunch we went to his home, I was shocked! His house didn't have finished walls or floors. Uncle Stan always teased me about the look on my face when I walked in his house. He had a LARGE boat out in the back of his property that he was building - Yes, a boat in Riverside! My dad called him Noah of the Inland Empire! Stan was so much fun! We were so blessed to have him in our lives. He would come to our house for holidays, and we would often drive to Riverside to have lunch with him. He loved Grinders and Sizzler. Stan loved boats and the ocean. He worked on a boat in Balboa Island - it was beautiful! He was truly a craftsman, he made beautiful things with wood. Stan is the only person that called me by a nickname - Krissy - and I let him. Uncle Stan loved good music, his favorite hymn was Come, Come Ye Saints. He was a well read, and educated man. He had a BS in Biology - if I remember correctly, but he never used it. Uncle Stan didn't like to be tied down, he sailed the world. The longest job he ever had was when he worked at the Golf Course by his home in Rubidoux (Riverside). He watered the greens. He tried to quit that job countless times, but they kept getting him back!
Stan had thought he had a hernia, and he didn't like doctors! When he finally went to the doctor, it wasn't a hernia. He had cancer in his bladder. They removed his bladder, but the cancer had spread.
The morning he passed I got a call from Jack, his son. I was staying at my mom and dad's home, because they were driving back from Boston (9/11). The conversation was hard to follow, but I got it that Stan had passed away. All Jack wanted was for my mom to be there. I told Jack that my mom and dad were still driving. Stan had fallen out of bed, and Jack couldn't get him back into bed, so he had to call the paramedics. Eric and I ended up meeting my mom and dad at Stan's home that afternoon. My poor mom and dad had driven straight for 50 something hours, and they didn't even go home. We helped Jack get things together for the funneral.
Stan was a very organized man. We found all that we needed to have him buried at the military cemetary. We also helped Jack find cash that was hidden in a pipe, in the wall of his home!
I am so grateful for the 14 years that I had to get to know my Uncle Stan. He was a great friend, and I miss him dearly!
Stan had thought he had a hernia, and he didn't like doctors! When he finally went to the doctor, it wasn't a hernia. He had cancer in his bladder. They removed his bladder, but the cancer had spread.
The morning he passed I got a call from Jack, his son. I was staying at my mom and dad's home, because they were driving back from Boston (9/11). The conversation was hard to follow, but I got it that Stan had passed away. All Jack wanted was for my mom to be there. I told Jack that my mom and dad were still driving. Stan had fallen out of bed, and Jack couldn't get him back into bed, so he had to call the paramedics. Eric and I ended up meeting my mom and dad at Stan's home that afternoon. My poor mom and dad had driven straight for 50 something hours, and they didn't even go home. We helped Jack get things together for the funneral.
Stan was a very organized man. We found all that we needed to have him buried at the military cemetary. We also helped Jack find cash that was hidden in a pipe, in the wall of his home!
I am so grateful for the 14 years that I had to get to know my Uncle Stan. He was a great friend, and I miss him dearly!
He had such a funny sense of humor!
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