Mark Dale Beam went home to be with his Lord and Savior on November 19, 2024, at the age of 62, after aggressive cancer took his life. He was born on January 17, 1962, in Gainesville, Texas to Charles Richard Beam Jr. and Letha Pearl Cox.
Mark grew up in the country near the Burk Royalty Company oil field where his father labored out in the elements. The countryside was his backyard. He loved God’s creations as his father and teachers taught him all about the bugs, fish, birds, animals, plants and trees. He was a great outdoorsman, loved hunting, fishing with his brother and noodling catfish with his dad. Mark always had a well-trained dog by his side, as well as hunting dogs. In 1980, Mark graduated from Gainesville High School. He did well in school and sometimes disrupted class because he couldn’t sit still, but the teachers loved him anyway and always called him Mr. Beam. He tutored younger students in math and science. He was hired at Texas Utilities Company (TU Electric) and worked his way up from setting records while reading meters to keeping accurate books in accounting. He was very good at working with numbers and a good salesman, including a car salesman. In fact, as a kid he sold boxes of rocks and even his father’s fishing pole and gear to the men in the oilfield. When Mark was only 21, he tragically lost his father. He stayed in Gainesville to care for his mother. When Mark was young, his mother took him to the beauty shop to show him off to the ladies. In his older years, Mark was a spitting image of his father down to the lines in his forehead.
Mark moved to Cisco, Texas and held various jobs. At Basic Energy he was an oilfield water truck driver and drove all over Texas. At Research and Advanced Methods (RAM Inc.) he finished aerospace parts and met his true love Wendy Jo and married her on September 27, 2014. He was a gentleman and romantic, always writing love notes to her and taking good care of her. After their honeymoon, they brought home “Brodie”, a Jack Russel terrier mix. They had a wonderful, happy marriage. Mark was the groundskeeper at the church camp. He worked at Higginbotham Brothers in sales and at Flying J Truck Stop managing the diesel side. At the truck stop, Mark met people from all walks of life. He could easily talk to anyone and always remember names, even back to his early days. He was always eager to spread the good news about Jesus our Savior. His friends would make a circle in the store and pray together. He became a member of the Cisco Redeemer Lutheran Church where he served God as head usher. One of the best experiences he had was when he was baptized with his mother and close family in attendance.
