Joseph Breckinridge Beard , III
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Joseph Beard, formerly of Lexington, KY and Sarasota, FL, passed May 5, 2022 in Bradenton, FL.
Joseph was born October 22, 1920, in Lexington, KY to Joseph and Eugenia Beard. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, he was an environmental chemist who retired after 44 years with the Kentucky Utilities Company. He and his wife, Frances, spent many happy retired years in Anna Maria Island, Florida, where he enjoyed golfing, cooking, community theatre, and spending countless hours with his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, Joseph served as 1st Lt. in the US Army during World War II, in the 157th Infantry, where he was injured just inside enemy lines in December, 1944. He was proud of his military service and once home, he again served his community as a volunteer Civil Defense Director. Additionally, he offered up his many talents in service to the Rotary Club and Boy Scouts, his church, and the hometown community pool/park. He was a much-loved and very involved father to his children, and supporter to his wife in her successful retail businesses.
Joseph is survived by his wife of 61 years, Frances; his children, Susan Stewart Eades (Nashville, TN), Anne Stewart Carney (Tampa, FL), William Jordan ( Bill) Stewart (Bradenton, FL), Dan Beard (Lexington, KY), and Kathryn Stewart (Lexington, KY); eleven grandchildren; as well as eleven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Carole Beard Ducolon.
The family will gather in June for a private memorial service and weekend celebration of their beloved Dad, Grandad, Great-Grandad.
Neptune Society, Fort Myers, Florida is entrusted with final care.