MILBRIDGE
JAMES CARSON BEEDY
July 19, 1933—May 18, 2018
James C. Beedy of Milbridge passed away at his home on May 18 following a long battle with lung cancer and a shorter battle with brain cancer.
Jim was born and raised in Mexico, Maine. He received his BA from the University of Maine at Orono and then enlisted in the Airborne Division of the Army for a two-year stint in 1953-54. He received his master’s degree from Boston University in 1959.
Jim was an educator, and the bulk of his career was as a guidance counselor at Bellport Senior High School on Long Island, where he aided students in a multitude of ways, everything from course selection to managing personal crises to the college application process. He retired in 1989 and returned to Maine, where he built a home on Stoehrs Way in Milbridge.
More than anything else, Jim was a lover of nature, and he enjoyed it in many ways, from hiking to canoeing or kayaking to deep sea scuba diving. A hiker, he covered large portions of the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Catskills. An avid birdwatcher, he made regular trips to various birding hotspots and became an expert at identifying a wide range of species. He loved all animals, including the black bear that one day wandered up onto his back porch to stand on her hind legs and stare in at Jim sitting just the other side of the glass door.
Following his retirement, he married his second wife, Carole, and together they became avid divers, traveling to a host of countries to view, identify and photograph tropical fish together. Carole passed away in 2008.
Jim is survived by three daughters, Alison Brooke Beedy, Jennifer Clea Beedy, and Jessica Jane Beedy, grandchildren Matthew James Russell, Kathryn Audrey Russell, and Hunter James Carson Schumacher, brother Wayne Beedy and sister Retta Muir, as well as, a large number of nieces and nephews.
Like his wife, Jim will be cremated, and their ashes will be spread in a place they both loved. A memorial will be planned for later this summer.