Obituary of Charles Henry Beek

Charles Henry Beek, a retired foreman at Asplundh Company, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday morning, March 13, 2014. He was 72 years old. Henry was born in Storeytown, New Brunswick, Canada, the son of the late Millet and the late Hilda Beek. Storeytown was a small logging community in the center of New Brunswick, Canada. It had the little one room school house. Logging was a way of life, and Henry and his brothers all learned trade as teenagers. At 18, Henry was recruited by a Massachusetts tree company, Bartlett Tree Service, to work as a climber on their tree crew. Henry would strap on his tree spikes and climb the trees with a chain saw in tow. He would trim trees that were well over a 100 feet high without any sense of trepidation. He rose to foreman with Bartlett and then switched to Asplundh Company where he worked as a foreman. He spent much of career with Asplundh working in tandem with Boston Edison and Reading Light where he and his crew trimmed and removed trees that potentially could damage power lines. Over the years, bucket trucks replaced much of the work climbers performed. He spent 44 years in tree service before a fall forced him to retire. Henry always worked 2 or 3 jobs, to better provide for his family. He had his own tree trimming business, he worked at a gas station, machine shop, and McCue garden center. Henry was not afraid of hard work and his motto was “Just get it done”. Henry was a diligent and fearless worker, but he had a warm jovial side that made sharing his company such a delight. He was a true friend, whether it was at work, at the Towanda Club, VFW, Woburn City Club, a neighbor, a longtime friend, or his childhood friends in New Brunswick, Canada. He was quite the story teller and jokester and his anecdotes always brought a smile to your face. He would hold court on his back porch with relatives and friends reminiscing, embellishing, laughing, and making the time fly by. Family was important to Henry so he would fill his car up with wife, children, and pets 2 or 3 times a year to visit his family and friends in New Brunswick. He wanted his children to know and appreciate their Canadian grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was a skillful hunter and made a great venison stew. He always had his trademark baseball hat on and had quite a collection of hats from all around the world. It seems funny, but after working cutting and trimming trees all day, Henry enjoyed going home picking up an ax and splitting wood just for the fun of it. Henry would not consider himself a wealthy man, but he was rich man in the love he shared with his family and the lasting relationships he has shared with so many friends over his lifetime. Henry was the loving husband of 50 years to Anne Shirley (Robinson) Beek of Burlington. He was the loving father of Karen May & her husband Russell, Kristin “Krissy” Sorenson & her husband Jim, and Barbara “Barbi” Scola & her husband Stephen all of Billerica. He was the brother of Helena MacAlwee & her husband Willis, Frances Ann Price & her husband Winston, Eyonne Vallis & her late husband Eric, Erma Jones & her husband Wayne all of New Brunswick, Canada, Wallace Beek of Vancouver Island, B.C., the late Clinton Beek & his late wife Geraldine, late Delores Beek, late Gerald Beek & his wife Joanne Beek of Vancouver Island, B.C. He was the son-in-law of Anna Foley of Woburn and brother-in-law of Elaine & George Sutton of Woburn, John & Trinda Foley of CT, Barbara & Pat Sartain of AZ. Henry was the very proud “Papa Beek” to his 7 grandchildren; Christian “CJ” May, Courtney Ricci & her husband Mike, James Michael & Cassidy Sorenson, Stephen, Adina, and Nicholas Scola. Funeral Services will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) on Tuesday, March 18 at 11 a.m. Visiting hours Monday from 4-8 p.m. Interment in Woodbrook Cemetery, Woburn. Memorials in Henry’s name may be made to the Salvation Army, Attn: Development, 25 Shawmut Rd, Canton, MA 02021.