John Beck

3/27/1940 — 1/14/2024

Service Date: 3/30/2024
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John Howard Beck, 83, passed away at Riverview Residential Care in Clarkston on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s.

John was born March 27, 1940, to Howard and Margaret (Odenborg) Beck in Gooding, Idaho. Early years were in Montana and Spokane and in 1948 the Beck family made Clarkston their home. Growing up, John was part of the Snake River Rats baseball team (1953) and earned extra money as a golf caddy at the Clarkston Golf and Country Club. John graduated from Clarkston High School in May 1958.

With eight of his high school friends, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy in April 1957 entering Boot Camp in San Diego in the summer of 1957. He was active duty from October 1958 to August 1961 and spent his enlistment on the USS Hull in the waters outside of Japan and the Philippines.

On Aug. 31, 1963, John married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Ruth Ann McConnell in Clarkston and began their 60 years of happiness and golf.

John attended Lewis-Clark State College and the University of Idaho, graduating with an accounting degree in 1965. One week after graduation, John started his career at Medical Service Bureau/Blue Shield of Idaho. He spent thirty years with the company and retired as the vice president of finance on March 31, 1995.

Fortunate to retire at a youthful 55, John’s passion for golf, fishing and maintaining a well-landscaped yard were fully embraced. After Ruth retired two years later, Mom and Dad started their adventures. For over 30 years they RV’d from the Oregon Coast to the Florida Keys, and all the way up to Banff, while wintering in Palm Springs, and frequenting the Mariner’s Spring Training in Arizona. Together, John and Ruth experienced the Masters in Augusta, Elvis’ Graceland, Bourbon Street (and the RV repair shop), the Ozarks, and all the National Parks in Utah.

Off-road exploration was a favorite for Dad. Dworshak, Elk City, Orogrande and the Lochsa-Selway River areas led him and the family to numerous and treacherous mountain dirt roads to conquer. No road too narrow, no path untamable for the ‘ol Wagoneer.

With all the travels, Dad’s favorite destination was Hawaii. John and Ruth spent many winters staying with friends in Kona exploring and golfing every chance they got. John even got a Hawaii driver’s license for better greens fees. Christmases in 2016 and 2018 were in Oahu and Kauai with all the kids and grandkids. The final family vacation came in 2021, an incredible five days in Cannon Beach, Ore., just one block from the ocean. We spent the days shopping, walking on the beach, telling stories and playing cornhole.

When John and Ruth weren’t traveling, you could find them golfing at the Lewiston Golf and Country Club (and later at Quail), playing bridge and cribbage or watching sports (his favorites being the M’s, Zags, Seahawks, Vandals and Cougs). Dad loved to follow his players and track Lewiston-Clarkston Valley athletes through their successes. (Go Joel Go!)

Nobody was a stranger to Dad; he could make a life-long friend in line at the DMV or stopping to buy worms on his way up the Clearwater. He was also an unrivaled master at The Jumble, Crosswords, Sudoku and most notably, his willingness, for years, to beat the socks off his entire family at Words with Friends. And Billiards ... holy cow, the man was a wizard on the pool table. He was a great man, immensely loved and admired by his family, and respected by all those who knew truly him.

John was very proud of his children and grandchildren. We joke that Dad’s patience grew several notches after retirement and with the arrival of grandkids. Whenever the family came to visit, Grandpa always had time to take the grandkids to breakfast on Saturday morning. His typical comment was “You’re a Good One” to each of them, always said with a big smile.

John is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 60 years, Ruth; daughter, Kim Lauer and her husband Doug; granddaughters Courtney Lauer-Enzler (Andrew) and Jenna; daughter, Tammy Schaff and her husband Donnie; granddaughters Kennedy Maklos (Pete) and Mayson (Parker); great-granddaughter Adelyn Jade Maklos; son, Randy and his wife Mira and grandsons Ethan (Sophie) and Reece. John is also survived by his two brothers, Gary (Joan) and Duane (Marsha) and numerous nieces and nephews.

The entire Beck family extends their sincere, heartfelt thanks to all the care givers at Riverview. Thank you so very much for taking such loving care of my husband and our dad, and grandpa.

Please join the family in celebrating John’s life at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Holiday Inn (Sternwheel Ballroom) 700 Port Drive, Clarkston.

Please consider making a donation in John’s honor to the TriState Health Foundation or to a charity of your choice.