Mr. Gerald Mancel Beard

Gerald Mancel Beard, 74, husband of Marlene Marie Jeanne Martin Beard, of 87 Angus Run, Seneca, SC, died Friday, September 11, 2015 at GHS Cottingham Hospice House. A native of Harvard, IL, Mr. Beard was the son of the late Mancel C. Beard and Ruth Marie Olsen Beard Swegle. He attended St John Anglican Church. A successful business man and automotive mechanic, Mr. Beard owned and operated Alden Skelly and Alden Café in Alden, IL from 1963-1980. Among his other endeavors, he was a U.S. Army veteran, served as the U.S. Postmaster of Alden from 1967-1980, various terms as Fire Chief of the Alden Volunteer Fire Department and a term as an Alden-Hebron School Board Member. After moving to Stuart, FL in 1980, “Gerry” became a partner in Stuart AMC Jeep & Renault until 1987, where he then went into business again to run Gerry’s Shop until 2007. He retired to Seneca in 2008 with Marlene, his wife of 54 years and celebrated life to the fullest. In addition to his wife, Mr. Beard is survived by his daughters: Happy Arlene Hoffman of Jacksonville, FL and Linnea Anne Beard of Stuart, FL; brothers: Donald Beard (Audrey) of Caledonia, FL, David Beard of Marianna, FL and Dwight “Ike” Beard of Pueblo, CO; sisters: Marcella Blank (Nelson) of Leesburg, FL, Marlene Morris of Chandler, AZ and Margaret Dodson (Robert) of Harvard, IL; one grandson: Alexander Gerald Hoffman of Jacksonville, FL; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Mr. Beard was preceded in death by two brothers: Richard Beard and Mancel C. Beard, Jr. A memorial service will be conducted at 11:00 AM, Saturday, September 19, 2015, at Davenport Funeral Home, West Union, SC. A luncheon will follow at the Cliffabee-Leas Club House in Seneca, SC. A second memorial service will be held at 11:00AM, Saturday, October 10, 2015, at Alden United Methodist Church, Alden, IL. Burial with military honors will follow at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Harvard, IL. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Stuart, FL. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Oconee Hospice of the Foothills, GHS Cottingham Hospice House, Attn: Foundation Office, 298 Memorial Drive, Seneca, SC 29672. The family is at the residence.

Mr. Gerald Mancel Beard

June 29, 1941 - September 11, 2015