Joseph A. "Joe" Beyer Jr. Obituary (1955

Joseph "Joe" Anthony Beyer, Jr., a proud veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, passed away in his home on Tuesday, January 3, 2023 with his wife and children by his side. Joe was born July 29, 1955 in Shelbyville, Indiana, the first of eight children to Joseph Anthony Beyer, Sr., and Donna Belle Beyer, nee Dwiggins. He graduated from Waldron High School in 1973 and attended summer courses at Purdue University College of Agriculture. Joe lived his early life in Waldron and Shelbyville. He married Barbara Ann Priest in December 1977. In 1988 his love for aviation and zest for adventure led him to a career at Boeing in Everett, Washington where he became quite the outdoorsman, earning him the nickname Salmon Joe. In 2002, he found his way back to his family in Indiana, living out the rest of his days with his wife in Plainfield. Joe enlisted in the Army National Guard on March 12, 1973 in Shelbyville, Indiana and worked for the Indiana National Guard Armory in helicopter repair and maintenance. He highly valued his service in the armed forces and attained the rank of SSG E6 Company C238 Aviation. Joe was deployed to Iraq in 2007 for Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served as the crew chief, battle captain, and on-board mechanic in the U.S. MEDEVAC unit. He was awarded many medals and honors throughout his military career, but the greatest reward to Joe was the family of brothers and sisters he gained from the time he served. He retired in May 2009 and is a proud member of American Legion, CCRT of Central Indiana, DUSTOFF Association, and VFW. Joe is survived by his wife, three children, and their families. He is fortunate to have a large extended family as well who will remember him fondly as a big brother. Uncle Joe, and Papaw Joe. Services honoring the life of Joseph Anthony Beyer, Jr., will be held at Glenn E. George and Son Funeral Home in Shelbyville and will include a viewing on January 6 starting at 4pm followed by the homily at 730pm, and a funeral on January 7 at 11am. Burial will be at St. Vincent dePaul in Shelbyville immediately following the funeral, where military rites will be conducted by the American Legion.