W3EY - March 26, 1997

W3EY - Coleman A. Beeson Coleman A. Beeson
Glenside, PA

QCWA # 4200
Chapter 5

Coleman A. Beeson of Abington Township, Glenside died Wednesday, March 26, 1997 at Allegany Hospital, Bucks County. He was married to Ulma Beeson for over 63 years. Born on January 25, 1910 in Silsbee, Texas, he was the son of the late Coleman A. and Rebecca Brown Beeson. He moved to the area in 1947.

He was a retired sales engineer at General Instrument, and also worked for Texaco and Philco. Mr. Beeson was a member of Glenside Bible Church in Glenside.

He was ham radio operator W3EY and built many radios. He was a member of Quarter Century Wireless Association and trained young men in short wave radio in preparation for their getting their licenses. He was also a member of a masonic lodge in Louisiana.

Surviving with his wife are two daughters, V. Ann Pacey of Hurlock, Md. and Barbara J. Ferguson of Providence, RI; a son, Coleman A. 'Bud' Beeson Jr. of Roslyn; and four grandchildren, William C. and Carol Ann Pacey, and Rebecca and Christopher Beeson.

The funeral service will be Saturday, March 29, 1997 at 10:30 am in John R. Freed Funeral Home, 124 N Easton Rd, Glenside. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Saturday from 9:30 until the time of the service. Interment will be in Whitemarsh Memorial Park, Prospectville.


Coleman Beeson, W3EY, became a silent key on Wednesday March 26, 1997. Coleman had been in a nursing home for some months and although his quality of life was not great at the end he did not suffer. We will all deeply miss him and I know I will personally very much. He was a great friend to me and when my father died in 1977 he became like a second father to me. I learned a lot from Coleman. He was always there to help. I lived just a few doors from him in Glenside for many years. He made daily visits to my house, always checking on things. When I put my first tower up he showed me how. When I remodeled parts of my house he taught me valuable carpentry skills. When I sit here today in front of my station desk I am reminded of Coleman by the nice station console that he built for me (to my specifications) years ago.

Unfortunately Coleman suffered from Alzheimers which progressed over the last ten years or so, but up until last autumn he had been able to check into our nets with his famous "I had enough of this BS!" or some variation of that. We have been cleaning out the garage where Coleman had his shack and I have his Amplifier and many other things to remember him by. His shack will be fondly remembered by the many young (and old) hams that were 'elmered' by him over the years. It was a common occurence to see bikes parked in front of the W3EY shack.

Coleman was born in 1910 in Silsbe, Texas. He was first licensed as W5AHE in Louisiana. After high school he attended radio school and later worked for the Texas (oil) Co., a broadcast station in Indiana and setup police radio in Indianapolis. He served in WWII and was discharged as an Army Major. After the war he settled with his family in Glenside, PA and worked as a manufacturers representitive for the Sickles Company and General Instruments until his retirement in 1974. Coleman is survived by his wife, Ulma Dee, three children and four grandchildren.

Farewell old buddy
Doug, WA3DSP