ALTOONA, Fla.
M. E. “Joe” Beavers, 92, of Altoona, Florida, died peacefully on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016, in Altoona.
Born Aug. 20, 1924, in Avoca, Joe was the son of Smith and Mabel Beavers, both of whom preceded him in death. He married Marjorie “Midge” Huber, his high school sweetheart in 1945, and she survives.
He attended Shields High School in Seymour and entered the U.S. Army in a field artillery division. He later attended the University of Wisconsin as part of the ASTP Signal Corps. Following World War II, he attended Purdue University, graduating in 1949 with a degree in electrical engineering. After marrying Midge, they moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to begin his career at Chattanooga Electric Power Board, followed by a move to Knoxville, Tennessee, with McGraw-Edison, and then to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he ended his career as general manager of Cleveland Utilities.
His children proudly remember him as an active participant in Cleveland’s growth in the 1970s and 1980s. He served as president of the Cleveland Bradley Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club, Central Service Association, Tennessee Electric Power Association, Ocoee Council Boy Scouts of America and First Lutheran Church. He was listed in Who’s Who in Finance and Industry. He served on the chamber’s Economic Development Council and Board of Directors for the seven-state Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, American Red Cross and Junior Achievement. He continued to be involved with his community after retirement as communications coordinator.
Joe was an accomplished designer and woodworker making the family’s first powerboat and canoe, designing his primary residence in Knoxville and Cleveland and building a family cabin on Chickamauga Lake. He was a licensed amateur radio operator for many years. He embraced new technologies. He also enjoyed Sunday drives into the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, camping, boating and photography.
Besides his wife of 71 years, survivors include their three children, Tom (Ellen) Beavers of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Carol (Bill) Skolfield of Ten Mile, Tennessee, and Marge (Bill) Preuss of Sandpoint, Idaho; six grandsons; and a great-granddaughter.
He also was preceded in death by his sisters, Ruth Stout and Laverne Schulze.
The family held a small memorial service in Tavares, Florida, on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016.