John Duncan Beck
John Duncan Beck, 86, beloved husband and father, passed away August 25, 2024 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
John was born on November 18, 1937 to the late Henry Lucien Beck, Jr. and the late Margaret Wright Beck in Charleston, SC. The family soon moved to Hapeville, Georgia. When John was three years old, the family moved to Decatur, Georgia.
Being a member of the Boy Scouts had a special meaning for John. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and the ethics he learned as a Boy Scout shaped his adult life.
John graduated from Decatur High School in 1955. He then attended Georgia Tech, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and graduated with a degree in industrial engineering in 1959.
He spent most of his career as an industrial engineer with the Southern Railway, which later became the Norfolk Southern Railway. Although his younger daughter initially puzzled him, he did not drive trains but developed computer programs to improve the railroad’s efficiency.
John and his second wife Marian Kern both took early retirement in the mid-1990s, which allowed them to enjoy many trips and adventures throughout the United States and Canada. They began with long trips on John’s Honda Goldwing motorcycle. They then sold their house and lived full-time in their tour bus from 1997 to 2000. They then settled in Prescott, Arizona, one of their favorite places to visit during their travels. In 2008, they moved back east to Chattanooga to be closer to family.
A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, John was most recently a member of the UU Church of Chattanooga. He cared for people and animals in tangible but behind-the-scenes ways. He used his computer skills to write programs that helped several nonprofit organizations. He also enjoyed driving for organizations such as the American Red Cross, transporting people who could not drive themselves. John was also a dedicated, regular blood donor to the American Red Cross. Over the course of his life, he donated more than 30 pints of blood. He was also a great lover of classical music.
John was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Henry Lucien Beck III, his sister-in-law Janet Beck and his beloved dog friends Hannah, Smiley, Max and Jack.
John is survived by his wife Marian Kern, his daughters Donna Blanton (Robbie) and Betty Jean Jordan (Robert), his stepson Justin Mulloy (Allison Fuller), and his granddaughters Hannah Blanton, Sylvie Blanton (fiancé Alex Fonzi), Stella Mulloy and Emilia Mulloy. We love you, John/Dad/Grandpa.
A private celebration of John’s life will be held at the Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to an animal welfare organization of the donor’s choice.
