June 1, 2010  

HAMMOND, N.Y.  —  David J. Beamish, 59, died at home on his beloved farm on County Route 6 in Hammond with his wife of 39 years at his side. He is now resting at peace after a two-year battle with cancer.

Born June 22, 1950, in Rochester, N.H., a son of Richard J and Shirley Emery Beamish, he graduated in 1968 from Berwick High School, Berwick, Maine, and immediately joined the United States Marine Corps upon graduation. He proudly served his country during the Vietnam conflict and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries received there.  

He married Sheila Tapscott on July 31, 1971, at Our Lady of Peace Church in Berwick, Maine. 

He graduated from Portsmouth Vocational College in 1972 with a degree in auto mechanics and worked for several years as a service technician for local auto and farm businesses.

Dave’s life-long ambition was to become a dairy farmer which he began in 1975, building his herd from 12 purchased calves. In 1987, after outgrowing his original farm in Berwick, Maine, he moved with his animals to Hammond, N.Y.  He was a devoted farmer and an animal lover.

Surviving are his wife, Sheila; his parents, Richard and Shirley of Berwick, Maine; two sister, Mrs. Dennis (Debra) Dupuis, Acton, Maine, and Mrs. Dennis (Diane) Moore, Berwick, Maine; and a brother Richard (Dianne) Beamish, Berwick, Maine.

Calling hours will be held 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, at Costello Funeral Home in Alexandria Bay. A funeral Mass will be said 10 a.m. Thursday, June 3, at St. Peter’s Church in Hammond, NY, with Fr. Kevin McEwan officiating. The burial, with military honors, will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Berwick, Maine, on Saturday.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Lawrence County S.P.C.A. or The Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS  66675-8517.

Information provided by Costello Funeral Service and Newzjunky.com, Watertown