Thomas Beckmann

Thomas Wilson Beckmann, 84, of Gladstone, Mo., died January 27, 2011. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at North Cross United Methodist Church. Visitation at 1 p.m.. Tom was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and graduated from Savannah High School in Savannah, Ga. He attended Georgia Tech University in Atlanta and Washington University in St. Louis. He lived most of his adult life in St. Louis. He worked on the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft teams while at McDonnell Douglas Corp. He was a member of North Cross UMC and sang in the choir. He was a lifelong amateur photographer, sketch artist, poet and jokester. Many of his photos and poems were seen or heard on St. Louis TV and radio stations. Tom was a member of numerous Masonic organizations. Among them were the Overland-Occidental Lodge AF&AM, Scottish Rite and Moolah Shrine in St. Louis, where he sang with The Chanters. He was a Past Patron of Florissant #161 and Golden Gate #58, Order of the Eastern Star. He was also Past Grand Royal Patron of Missouri in the Order of the Amaranth. In 2000, he and his wife moved to Gladstone, where he joined the Nazarene White Shrine and the American Legion. Tom is survived by his wife of 63 years, Gwen, of the home; a son, Greg (Janet) of Long Beach, California; a daughter, Deborah Mason (Lynn) of Gladstone; two granddaughters, Sarah Mason of Gladstone and Danielle Beckmann of New York City; a sister, Helene Barbee of Savannah, Ga. nieces and nephews and many friends. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to North Cross UMC, 1321 NE Vivion Road, Kansas City, MO 64119.