John Duncan Beck
John Duncan Beck, 86, beloved husband and father, died on August 25, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
John was born on Nov. 18, 1937, to the late Henry Lucien Beck, Jr. and the late Margaret Wright Beck in Charleston, SC. The family moved to Hapeville, Ga. soon after. When John was three, the family moved to Decatur, Ga.
Being part of the Boy Scouts was particularly meaningful to John. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout, and the ethics he learned as a Boy Scout were a hallmark of his adult life.
John was a 1955 graduate of Decatur High School. He then attended Georgia Tech, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity and graduated in 1959 with a degree in industrial engineering.
He spent most of his career as an industrial engineer at Southern Railway, which later became Norfolk Southern Railway. Despite his younger daughter’s initial confusion, he did not drive trains; rather, he designed computer programs to increase railway efficiency.
John and his second wife Marian Kern both took early retirement in the mid-1990s, which allowed them to enjoy many travels and adventures throughout the United States and Canada. They started with long trips on John’s Honda Goldwing motorcycle. Next, they sold their house and lived full time in their motorcoach from 1997 to 2000. They then settled in Prescott, Az., one of their favorite locations they had visited during their travels. In 2008 they moved back east to Chattanooga, to be closer to their family.
John was a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, most recently being a member of the UU Church of Chattanooga. He cared about people and animals in tangible yet behind-the-scenes ways. He used his computer skills to write programs to assist several nonprofits. Additionally, he enjoyed driving for groups such as the American Red Cross, transporting people who could not drive themselves. John was also a dedicated, regular blood donor with the American Red Cross. Over his lifetime he donated more than eight gallons of blood. He also was quite a classical music enthusiast.
John was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Henry Lucien Beck, III; his sister-in-law, Janet Beck; and his beloved canine friends, Hannah, Smiley, Max and Jack.
John is survived by his wife, Marian Kern; daughters, Donna Blanton (Robbie) and Betty Jean Jordan (Robert); stepson, Justin Mulloy (Allison Fuller); and granddaughters, Hannah Blanton, Sylvie Blanton (fiancé Alex Fonzi), Stella Mulloy, and Emilia Mulloy. We love you, John/Daddy/Grandpa.
A private celebration of John’s life will be held at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center in Highlands, NC. The family suggests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to an animal welfare organization of the donor’s choice.