John Richard McBeth, age 76, died from Alzheimers on Nov. 20, 2014 in Betty's Harbor at The Lighthouse of Sun Prairie. He was born on August 20, 1938 in Des Moines, Iowa, to John Harlan and Dorothy Marion (McCann) McBeth. He was raised in Des Moines for all but six years when his father moved the family to New Mexico. He graduated from high school in Des Moines.

In 1960 John joined the U.S. Air Force and was sent to Yale language school to learn Mandarin Chinese. Stationed on Taiwan he monitored and translated communications from the Chinese mainland. He remained fluent in Mandarin throughout his life. Following military service he attended and graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa and then Yale Divinity School where he received his Master of Divinity degree. While studying at Yale, he was a student pastor in Branford, CT.

In 1972 John was ordained in the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church and served United Methodist congregations in Sheboygan Falls, Onalaska, Waukesha, New Berlin, Spooner and Lake View, Fort Atkinson, and Brown Deer. Upon retiring in 2003 he moved to Salt Lake City to be near his son Christopher. After several years he returned to Wisconsin to be with his beloved Jane Daniels. Together they traveled to Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Russia, Ireland, Scotland, England, Costa Rica, Columbia, and the Panama Canal.

John was active in Rotary, served as President of clubs in Brown Deer and Salt Lake City, and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He enjoyed bowling but most of all he loved riding his BMW motorcycle in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada especially when attending BMW motorcycle rallies. He is fondly remembered as the pastor who rode motorcycle when there weren't many pastors doing that.

He is survived by Jane Daniels of Sun Prairie; his children Christopher (Julie) McBeth of Salt Lake City; Melissa (Mike Sheridan) McBeth and granddaughter Madelyn McBeth Sheridan of New Franken, WI; and brother Mark McBeth of Vincent, Iowa; close friends Dick and Ro Robinson of Guilford, CT and Jim and Cheryl Lingle of Brown Deer. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Neal Harlan McBeth and Robert “Bobby” Steven McBeth.

A memorial service will be held at the Sun Prairie United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 13 at 10:30am with one hour of visitation prior to the service. Memorials may be made to United Methodist Children's Services, 3940 W. Lisbon Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53208.
A special thank you to Agrace Hospice and the staff at Betty's Harbor who cared for John as “family” during his last months with us. John slept right out of Alzheimers and into what God has planned for him for eternity.

Tuschen-Newcomer Funeral Home
& Cremation Service
Sun Prairie, WI 608-837-5400