William Arnold Beebe, 83, a resident of Brookfield since the 1970s, and a former Newtown and New Milford resident since 1959, died October 1, at New Milford Hospital. He was born May 14, 1931, in Chicago, son of Mabel (Delfraisse) and Robert J. Beebe.

 He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, N.Y., in 1949 and from Pace University in New York City with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1959. He served in the US Marine Corps from 1951 to 1954, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. He saw combat in the Korean War with the First Marine Air Wing and was a decorated marksman.

Following the war, he worked for Western Electric on the DEW Line on Baffin Island, Canada, and for his father’s printing business, Wilson Beebe Co. He married the former Barbara Ann Gambichler on August 10, 1957.

Mr Beebe was a design engineer at Platt’s Lumber in Hawleyville, and later at Carten and Contact Systems of Danbury. He was a member of the Newtown Police Auxiliary and a past president and secretary of the Newtown Lions Club. He was active in the New Milford Little League.

After his retirement, he enjoyed creating works of art from stained glass. He was always a skilled and talented carpenter and mechanic. A cancer survivor, he was honored for more than 2.500 hours as a volunteer at the New Milford Hospital Cancer Center.

He was most recently a member of the Korean War Veterans of Danbury, a league bowler at Lore’s lanes in New Milford, and a communicant of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Washington.

He was known as a gentleman, with a keen sense of right and wrong. He was a loving father and grandfather.

His children and their spouses, Karin and John Irwin of Roxbury, William Beebe, Jr, and Lynn, and Robert Beebe III and Wendy, all of New Milford, and Suzanne Beebe of Brookfield, with whom he had made his home; five grandchildren, Kariann McDougall of New Milford, Sarah and Sean Irwin of Roxbury, and Kyle and Jordan Beebe of New Milford; his sister, Suzanne Ford; many nieces, nephews and cousins; and his former wife, Barbara Beebe Schultz, survive Mr Beebe. His siblings, Robert Beebe, Jr,  and Margot Foglietta predeceased him.

Friends may call at Lillis Funeral Home, 58 Bridge Street, New Milford, Sunday, October 5, from 3 to 6 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 34 Green Hill Road, Washington, Conn., Monday, October 6, at 10 am. Internment will take place at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to the Diebold Family Cancer Center, c/o Barbara Davies, 21 Elm Street, New Milford CT 06776.