Bishop William F. Beamer, of Mount Airy, N.C., was called to his eternal home on January 21, 2012. Born on January 3, 1937, in Fries, he was one of 13 children born to the late Fred and Mary Beamer. William Beamer became the associate pastor of St. Paul UHC, Woodlawn, in 1965, where he served faithfully before being called to pastor at New Pentecostal UHC, Wake Forest, in 1971. He pastored in Wake Forest for 29 years and six months. On May 9, 2002, William Beamer was consecrated as Bishop in the United Holy Church in Greensboro, N.C. Bishop Beamer then went forward to pastor Clark's Temple, Mount Airy, N.C. for nine years. Bishop Beamer also served as Vice President of the West Virginia District for over 10 years. Bishop Beamer was preceded in death by his parents. Also preceding him in death are his son, Daniel Clark Beamer; three sisters, Evelyn Brown, Ruth Sanders, and Hilda "Nita" Thomas; and three brothers, James, Blainie, and Richard Beamer. Surviving to cherish his memory are his wife of 56 years of marriage, Gaye Hazel Beamer, Mount Airy, N.C.; one daughter, Freida Beamer Love (Bishop Ralph Love), of Greenville, N.C.; two sons, Fred Beamer (Charlotte), of Elkin, N.C., and the Reverend Daryl E. Beamer Sr. (Roxanne), of Christiansburg; four sisters, Helen Howard (John), of Galax and Painesville, Ohio, Frances Brown (Jessie), of Cleveland, Ohio, Christine Goins, of Galax, and Ada Scale (Tony), of Galax; and two brothers, Raymond Beamer (Eate), of Columbia, S.C., and Willard Beamer, of Cleveland, Ohio. He also leaves behind seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. A Homegoing Celebration will take place at First Baptist Church, 220 Magazine Street, Pulaski, VA, on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, with the Reverend Daryl Beamer Sr. and Bishop R. C. Bryant officiating. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. to noon with the service beginning at noon. The interment will follow at Old Town Cemetery in Galax. Arrangements are in the care of Spencer Funeral Home, 824 North Main Street, Mount Airy, NC 27030.
Published in Roanoke Times from January 24 to January 25, 2012