John A. Beetham

John A. Beetham,
85, of Indianapolis, loving husband and father, passed away November 15, 2015. Son to Bill and Una Beetham, he was fascinated with aircraft from the time he was a little boy in Fennimore, WI. So much so that he earned an aeronautical engineering degree from Parks College, St. Louis University, and then served in the U.S. Air Force until 1954. He left the Air Force to work 36 years for General Motors, Milwaukee. His favorite job was collaborating with NASA on the missile and rocket programs including Gemini and Apollo. In 1973 he moved his family to Indianapolis where he continued to work for General Motors, Allison Gas Turbines until he retired in 1990. He was a Founding Member, Director, and Treasurer of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). He also enjoyed woodworking and homebuilt airplanes. John is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Shirley; children, Teri (Dan) Duncan, Jamison (Sue) Beetham, Jon (Sue) Beetham, Julane (Dan OBrien) Beetham; grandchildren, Cody Beetham and Jens OBrien. John is also survived by his cousin, Marnie Adams. Services will be private. Memorial contributions may be given to the EAA Young Eagles Program or a charity of your choice. Friends are invited to leave online condolences for the family at www.flannerbuchanan.com.