By Greg Beers
To our friends in the modeling world,
As most of you know, on June 28, 2007, we lost oud dear father and friend Roy Carl Beers.
Sorry it has taken so long to write this but it has been a long year for us at the Beers Brigade.
We just wanted to let you all know a couple of facts about our Roy.
Greg and Roy Beers at the 2006 Northwest Regionals. Rich Salter photo
Roy Carl Beers was born in Nehalem, Ore., on Dec,17, 1932. This is where he spent all of his chilhood and young adult life. His parents owned a grocery store where he worked until he went to college at Oregon Tech. He received his degree in diesel mechanics. He joined the Navy where he spent four years as a machine repairman. He got to see a lot of the world, he spent time in Japan, Australia China and the Phillipines. His home port was in Hawaii. His Father had been drafted at the age of 42 and spent time in a German prison camp during WWII.
He left the Navy and married Florence with whom he raised four children, two sons and two daughters.
For the fun part of his life, modeling was it, that is what he did if he was not working to take care of his family. This is what I received from him, a love of modeling and aircraft, he taught me all that I know about modeling and flying.
He was about 12 years old when he started building rubber powered models, because during the war balsa was very hard to get. In his late teens he got into Control Line models. He flew sport models for a lot of years until we met one Loren Howard, who introduced him and me into the world of competition flying. We have never been the same since. As most of you know Carrier was his main event. In September 1986 he set the NW Class I Carrier record at 318.3 points, which stood for many years. Another of his favorite things to play with were model diesel and ignition engines.
As for my memories of modeling with my Dad, there are many. My earliest airplane,was when I was 6. He had bought me a testors Japanses Zero ready to fly. I was hooked from then on. My dad was the best pit man I ever had, we raced a lot of NW Drizzle Circuits together as some of you may remember we held the NW Sport Race heat record for a while. We went to all the contests we could get to up until the last years if his life. The NW Regionals in 2006 was the last time he was able to attend a contest.
The last weeks he spent in Montana I flew his airplanes in a nearby park so he could see them fly one more time. He laughed and cried, so did I, we had a good time together as always.
He loved each and everyone of the people he met in the flying circle. He will be missed in these circles for many years to come. He was a wonderful father a great Grandfather and most of all a true friend to all those who knew him. We know he is watching over us from the best circle in the sky hoping we all stick the landings and once in a while crashing to keep us humble, and remembering to just have lots of fun.
In Loving Menory From; Greg S. Beers his Wife Laura and Daughters Danilla & Jenessa.
P.S If anyone has pictures or stories of my Dad that could send them to my email, that would be great.
Roy Beers makes a last visit with the family to the flying field in Montana. Photo provided by Greg Beers.
This page was upated Oct. 17, 2007