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Donald "Don" Wayne Beamer Born: 4/28/1941 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada Died: 12/9/2017 in Charlotte, NC Don passed away peacefully with his family by his side at the age of 76, after living a life full of incredible memories, friendships, and more than anything, love for his family. Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, it’s no surprise Don had such a love for hockey, playing since he was a young child. At 18, he moved to "the States" to earn his Bachelor’s Degree while playing hockey at Western Michigan. Soon after he graduated, he married his first wife, Ritva and had 2 children, Missy and Kevin. His career in retail as a successful store manager for Montgomery Ward led him and his family throughout the Midwest and Northeast until he re-married in the early 80’s and put permanent roots down in Merrimack, NH – the place he’d call home for more than 30 years. His family grew with the marriage to his second wife, Mary – giving him two stepchildren, Ross and Trish, and eventually, they had another son together, Seth. He loved travelling with his wife Mary, and being a part of his kids’ lives as they grew up through school and sports, creating many lifelong memories and friendships. Nothing gave him more joy in life than getting to watch his kids become parents themselves, and being a part of his grandchildren’s lives as they have grown up and began having families of their own. He loved being a part of Ross and Trish's lives and watching Chad, Brit, Jilly and Autumn grow up and spent countless days in hockey rinks and at sports fields watching Missy's boys Mike, Tom, Matt and Ry over the years. In 2006, he lost his beloved wife, Mary, to cancer and retired shortly after, spending the next several years being as much a part of his kids’ and grandchildren’s lives as he could – there certainly weren’t many sporting events or celebrations in NH that he didn’t make it to. In 2011, as many of his grandchildren in NH were growing up and in or nearing high school, he left the cold and snow for North Carolina, to be closer to his son Kevin, daughter-in-law Paula, and his youngest grandchild at the time, Emma. Don spent the next, and final 5 years of his life in NC, enjoying family vacations with Kevin and Paula, and getting to be a part of Emma’s childhood, with frequent trips back to NH to see all of his kids and grandkids, including Seth, and his three daughters. In his last 6 months, Don was overjoyed to see his youngest son, Seth, and daughter-in-law Katie, move to NC with their three young girls, Zoe, Izzy and Tilly and buy the house next door to Kevin. He had so much joy in his final months, spending so much time with his 2 youngest sons, his daughters-in-law Katie and Paula, and especially, his four youngest granddaughters who adored him and loved the way he could make them laugh. Don brought so much joy to this world for so many, and will always be remembered for his fun-loving spirit and laughter, his love of hockey, for his kind and generous heart, and most of all, his love and pride for his family. Don is survived by Ross (Holly) Londo of Hooksett, NH; Melissa (Leslie) Warrington of Merrimack, NH; Tricia (Dean) Uhlman of Merrimack, NH; Kevin (Paula) Beamer of Cornelius, NC; Seth (Katie) of Cornelius, NC; twelve grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; family in Canada to include Ritva, Marikka, Pentti; nephews, Justin and Bobby; nieces, Minna, Esme, and Tiia and many long-time friends. Don was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; parents, Bob and Bea; sister, Pat and brother-in-law, Rocky. The family will be having a small gathering to celebrate Don’s life this Saturday, December 16th at 4:30pm at Seth’s home, 18020 Bluff Inlet Road, Cornelius, NC 28031. With it being such short notice, a long way to travel, and so close to Christmas, the family doesn’t expect anyone to travel for this small celebration, but if anyone feel like they need to, all are welcome. If you can’t make it, but would like to pay respect to Don and the family, they would love if you would help memorialize his life and the impact he had on this world by sharing a favorite picture or memory on this website. In mid-2018, Don’s family will be honoring his wishes to bring him back to Canada, to the lake where so many of his best memories were made, as well as Wisconsin, where his wife Mary has her final resting place. All are welcome to join and we will announce the arrangements to all who wish to be included as they are finalized. The family would like to thank all of those who helped make Don’s life the incredible joy that it was, and for those who helped take such great care of him in his final months. He was so thankful to Kevin and Paula, and Seth and Katie for the love and care they showed him, and he cherished the times he was able to spend with his dear friend Joyce and the pen-pal exchanges and phone calls with his lifelong friend Bill McBurney. The visit from beloved friends Rick and Rosemary Ferroni was something he talked about almost weekly. To all who helped bring his life so much joy, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Cavin-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory, Mooresville, is serving the Beamer family. Condolences may be made to the family at www.cavin-cook.com.

Tributes

Donald 'Don' Wayne Beamer

April 28, 1941 - December 9, 2017