Phil Woodrow Beck

Phil Woodrow Beck, 80, died October 1, 2017 in Benson, Arizona. Phil was born on January 29, 1937 in Gunnison, Utah to Woodrow Wilson Beck and Gertrude Edwards Beck. He spent his early years in Provo, Ephraim and Nephi before moving to Gunnison in 1944. Phil was a gregarious guy. He loved to talk with people and always had lots of friends. He was also a man of many talents. He sang and played the guitar, drew sketches and educated himself on a variety of topics. He read frequently. He was especially interested in World War II and the American Civil War. He and his wife, Cheryl, spent several summers touring battlefield sites. He was an avid gun collector, specializing in German Luger pistols. He loved to fish and hunt, spending numerous summers in Alaska fishing for salmon. He, with his family and friends, traveled to many places. He was usually the instigator of these excursions. Mexico, for fishing and scuba diving, was a favorite travel destination. He was a member of the National Educational Association, the National Rifle Association and the Historical Arms Society of Tucson. Phil was the oldest grandchild on both sides. Therefore, he had a special relationship with his grandparents, aunts and uncles. Since he was very interested in family history, he recorded in-depth interviews with various family members of the generation before him. He also organized a number of family reunions. Phil graduated from Gunnison High School, Snow College and Brigham Young University. In-between attending college, he served a mission to New York for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. During his college years, he was a member of the Army Reserve. After graduating BYU, he worked in sales for several years in Boston, Massachusetts and Phoenix, Arizona. Following his marriage to Cheryl Anderson in 1968, he went back to school to become a teacher. In 1969, he and Cheri moved to Benson, Arizona, where he taught high school business classes for twenty-five years. His goal was to teach his students that how they spent their money was their choice. They could be debt free, if they wanted. He loved to visit with former students to “see how they turned out”. He also taught at Cochise College and was the Cochise County Vocational Director for a year. Phil is survived by his wife, of forty-nine years, Cheri; two children, Susan Thatcher and Christopher (Shannon) Beck, all of Vail, Arizona; grandchildren, Chelsea (Ryan) Martin, Scott (Ariel), Preston, Lauren and Sterling Thatcher, Courtney and Hope Beck; great-grandchildren, Isaac, Mclain and Elizabeth Martin, and Bennett Thatcher; three siblings, Eugene (JoAnn) Beck of Richfield, Utah, Jeanette Beck of Hurricane, Utah and Marilyn (Scott) Stewart of Gunnison, Utah. He was preceded in death by his parents, Woodrow and Gertrude Beck. A bedside service was held at Quiburi Care Center. His family thanks the staff of Quiburi for their kind and loving care of Phil. A private tribute will be held in the future to honor and celebrate Phil’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Benson Faculty Scholarship Fund.