Rex Robert Beach ended his battle with Frontal Temporal Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease Thursday, November 16th, 2023, with his wife Suvi and brother Karl by his side.
Rex was raised in Ionia, MI by his parents Robert and Marilyn Beach where he attended Ionia High School. As a member of the Boy Scouts of America he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He and his brother were the first in their family to attend college when they were both accepted to Michigan State University, where Rex graduated with a degree in Engineering. After college he moved to Ankeny, IA to accept a position at the John Deere Des Moines Works. His work with John Deere would take him all over the world as an Overseas Marketing Rep. In the 80’s he worked with Governor Terry Branstad in establishing partnerships with the emerging agriculture market in China. While his career with John Deere would take him to countries including Brazil, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Australia and the Central African Republic, it was his work in China that he was most proud of. He would often comment that every cotton picker he sold kept an entire classroom of children from missing school to pick cotton by hand. Exhausted and jet lagged from is overseas traveling he would return home and apply himself tirelessly to his family and community. Once arriving home from Uzbekistan and insisting on being taken from the airport directly to Valley Junction to assist in sandbagging efforts during the floods of 1993. He was a member of the Johnston Jaycees and an early coach and member of the Johnston Soccer Club. He volunteered as a Hunter Education Instructor for many years partnering with organizations such as the Johnston Public Schools and the YMCA of Greater Des Moines. He was a Leader for the Royal Rangers program at First Assembly of God Church and later served as first Junior then Senior Warden at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church in Des Moines.
He is survived by his aunt Helen, his brother Karl and sister-in-law Theresa, his loving wife Suvi, his daughter Maggie and her husband Dan, his son Kyle and his wife Sara and his two grandchildren Nora and Wallace.
A Requiem Mass will be offered by Father Brad Johnson on Monday, November 27th at 11:00 am at the Merle Hay Chapel.
In lieu of flowers friends can make a contribution to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, www.theaftd.org, in Rex’s memory.
