I was asked by my family to create an urn for my grandfather who passed away on April 6, 2020. I always told my grandparents that I would make these objects for them without much additional thought. After my grandfather’s passing, and a gentle reminder from my grandmother, I started to think about what this object would look like. I started to think about the importance of this object and what my grandfather meant to me. Someone who would always listen, who always cared more about what was going on in my life, who always had advice for the difficult questions and times. I never realized how much importance the jar form could have. It’s an honor to create such an object and it’s an honor to have had such a wonderful man as my grandfather. Thank you, Grandpa Russ.
Russell Beach: Ever The Adventurer
Russell F. Beach, Jr., 81, was born on June 9, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, to Mary and Russell Beach, Sr. He passed away at his home in Phoenix, Arizona due to complications from COPD on April 6, 2020, wrapped in the loving embrace of his family.
Grandpa and I together at Made In Clarkdale, 2011
While born and raised in the Midwest, Russ found himself drawn west after high school graduation. With his mother’s blessing and father’s misgivings, he attended Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, to study photography. There he met Vivian Blatt who asked Russ to become her assistant and accompany her to Africa. Being an adventurer to the core, Russ agreed to the journey and the odd couple (Russ being 21 and Vivian at 63) began their anticipated six-month-long photographic safari across the African continent. Two and half years later, the pair returned to the states with a treasure trove of wildlife images and everlasting memories. Russ’s rich experiences there were fodder for the amazing stories he recounted throughout the rest of his lifetime.
From Africa, Russ’s career path in photography led him back to the western US. His first professional position was at the White Sands Missile Range near Alamogordo, New Mexico. He was hired to photograph manned balloon flights and rocket sled experiments in the desert. Next up was a job he landed in Colorado working for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Here he flew on countless missions photographing weather phenomena. After this stint, he accepted a position much further north with the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. Russ managed the photography department for years studying the Aurora Borealis while also taking a part-time gig documenting the construction of the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
After many medical issues with his son Jeff, Russ and late wife, Irene, took a leap of faith and moved to Hawaii. He began his time on Maui selling real estate before a position at AVCO Research Lab opened. His job included photographing both foreign and domestic satellites for the US government. This top secret work resonated with Russ’s sense of adventure and his appetite for a challenge. Interestingly, Russ’s father later admitted that he was wrong and that Russell had chosen the best possible career for himself.
In 1985, Russ’s personal life took a turn when he invited Chicago-native Susan Baron to visit him in Hawaii. Susan had lost her husband the year before and Russ thought it might be a good idea to rekindle their childhood friendship. The reunion proved to be so successful that the two wed the next year in Tucson, Arizona. Russ, Susan, and her nine-year-old son, Mark, began their new lives in Kihei, Hawaii in 1986. This husband and wife partnership led them to Russ’s lifelong dream to open a photography studio. Together, Susan and Russ ran “Beach’s House of Photography” until they left for Cottonwood Arizona in 1994. There they resumed their entrepreneurial endeavors and started “Beach’s On Location.” During their 23 years in Cottonwood, they made lifelong friends, but in 2018, with Russ’s failing health, they moved to Phoenix to be closer to family.
Russell will be lovingly remembered for the countless qualities he possessed: his boundless curiosity for all things, his inability to leave the house without a camera, his readiness to make friends wherever he went, his phenomenal ability to create the perfect mai tai, his passion for strawberry shakes, Clan MacGregor scotch, crab legs and every conceivable type of sweet treat, his delight in cooking for others, his ham radio skills, his passion for teaching others about photography, his insistence upon a jam-packed refrigerator, his tireless desire for shopping and spotting “great” deals, his quiet tenderness with babies, and lastly, his being primed and ready for the next grand adventure.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife and best friend, Susan Baron Beach; his sister, Mary (and Tom) Schroeder; his children: Lisa Baron (and Steve) Roti, Jeff Beach, Kris Baron (and Rob) Friedman, Mark (and Kirsten) Baron and Melody Beach (and Matt) Miner; his grandchildren: Angie Grapsas, Ben (and Kami) Roti, Tyler Beach, Calli (and Kyle) Stiner, Ethan Beach, Sarah Roti (and Schulyer Johnson), Lexi Friedman (and Jack Bernard), Mallory Beach, Zach Friedman, Trey Baron, Coby Baron, and his great-grandchildren: Aria, Leo and Mila.
Russ was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Russell Beach, Sr., and his brother, Jack.
A Celebration of Life for Russell will be held at a later date due to current COVID - 19 restrictions. We will share the date when we are able to. In lieu of donations please feel free to donate to www.billysplace.me which is a charity that Susie and her family hold dear. Thank you!
I will post updates of the object upon completion.