Leland Beach

Republican City resident, Leland "Lee" L. Beach, 76, passed away Thursday, April 5, 2012 at Mary Lanning Memorial HealthCare, Hastings, Nebraska.

Memorial services will be Tuesday, April 10, 2012; 10:30 A.M. at Peace Lutheran Church in Alma, Nebraska with John Lee Ross officiating. There will be no visitation as Leland was cremated. Memorials may be given to the Transportation Fund of the Tehama Shrine, 411 North Hastings Avenue, Hastings, Nebraska 68901.

Leland "Lee" Beach was born March 4, 1936 on a farm south of Naponee, Nebraska to Harold and Bonnie (Kelso) Beach, he was the oldest of four sons. He attended his early grade school years in a country school in Kansas, south of Franklin, Nebraska. The family then moved to town where he completed his schooling at Franklin Public Schools, graduating in 1954. Lee joined the US Navy in June of 1954, serving four years aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Philippine Sea. He was united in marriage to Nancy Swanson on December 21, 1954 and to this union three children were born; Bruce Allen, Cynthia Lee and Jeffrey Wayne. After being discharged from the Navy in 1958 he attended Bailey Diesel and Mechanics School in St. Louis, Missouri. The family then moved to Hastings, Nebraska where he worked for Pickett Motor. He also worked at the Texaco Station on East Highway 6 and later became the owner. In 1963 the family moved to Riverside, California where he worked for Kaiser Steel Company until returning to Hastings in 1965. In 1970 he became a police officer for the City of Hastings. He attended the first Law Enforcement Training School in Grand Island. He was assigned the duties of Lab technician which included alcohol testing, fingerprinting and photography for the detective division and attended Polygraph School at Texas A&M to become a certified Polygraph Examiner for the Hastings Police Department and surrounding area. Lee retired from the Police Department in August of 1995 after 25 years of service and moved to Harlan County where he and his wife made their home for the next 17 years. He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church at Republican City. He was a Master Mason of Midwest Lodge #317 and belonged to the Tehama Shrine, Acacia Chapter #39 Order of the Eastern Star, Hastings, Nebraska, and American Legion, Post #0361 of Republican City, Nebraska.

Leland was preceded in death by his father, Harold Beach on March 20, 1998; his mother, Bonnie on October 13, 2006; his oldest son, Bruce on February 25, 2008; and a nephew, Leroy Herbst on February 6, 2009.

Survivors include:
Wife: Nancy Beach - Republican City, NE
Daughter & Son-in-law: Cynthia & Kurt Eberspacher - Lincoln, NE
Son & Daughter-in-law: Jeffrey & Tricia Beach - Hastings, NE
Grandsons & Spouses: Brian & Cindy Beach - St. Mary, GA
Brent & Rachel Beach - Walkersville, MD
Brandon & Lauren Beach - Mountainside, NJ
Nicholas & Jenny Donahue - Lincoln, NE
Kelly & Chelsie Donahue - Lincoln, NE
Derek Beach - Phoenix, AZ
Granddaughters: Courtney Beach - Hastings, NE
Stormy Eberspacher - Lincoln, NE
Great-Grandchildren: 5
Brothers & Sisters-in-law: Larry & Ginger Beach - MN
Lloyd & Karlene Beach - Franklin, NE
Ronald & Carol Beach - Roseburg, OR
Sisters-in-law & Brothers-in-law: Rosalie & Larry Mason - Dixon, NE
Susan & Larry Herbst - Kingsley, IA
Many other relatives and friends