Rep. Warren Beck remembered for his love of life

GENEVA – Rep. Warren Harris Beck was not a man to sit by the side of the road and watch life go by, his brother told a capacity crowd of more than 400 mourners gathered to pay their last respects to the lawmaker Sunday at the First Baptist Church in Geneva.

He had many interests, was involved in his community and he loved life, George Lamar Beck Jr. said of his brother.

“He was simply a joy to be around,” Beck said. “Warren was truly happy and always smiling. And he had that laugh. Warren will be missed greatly by his family but Warren will be missed by this community.”

Beck was found dead in his Montgomery hotel room Wednesday afternoon during the legislative session. He was 65.

As family, friends and fellow politicians filed into the church, images of Beck were displayed on a screen. There were pictures of Beck, with his arm around one of his daughters; Beck, as a young man relaxing in an easy chair; Beck, on the day he married his college sweetheart last year; Beck, playing with the grandchildren.

In every photo, the Republican legislator is smiling, which is one thing country music star John Anderson noticed about the former mayor of Geneva when they first met. Anderson sang “Amazing Grace” and “How Great Thou Art” during the service.

“I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Warren Beck not long ago,” said Anderson. “What stuck out to me most was that wonderful smile. Those of you who knew him best know what I’m talking about. He struck me as a very fine man and a great, great leader – something we wish we had more of these days.”

While Beck’s death was a shock to the community, his service truly was a celebration of his life. George Beck shared childhood stories which spoke of his brother’s sense of humor and mischievousness.

He recalled his brother was on the football field playing defense during a game against Andalusia. There was a big pile up on the field, with Beck ending up on bottom. As the players slowly got on their feet, Beck never moved and was laying flat on his back. A hush fell over the crowd as faces went white.

As the coach rushed to check Beck’s condition, Beck opened his eyes and grinned.

“Coach, how’s the crowd taking all this?” a young Beck asked, drawing laughter from those in attendance.

George Beck said his brother never took the path of mediocrity. As a testimony to his drive, Beck removed a plaque from his brother’s office. It was a quote from Albert Einstein.

“Great spirits,” Beck read, “have always encountered great opposition from mediocre minds.”

Beck said his brother was a great spirit – an honest man and straight-forward. “His word was his bond.”

The Rev. Nathan Carroll said the community is still coping with the shock of Beck’s unexpected death.

“He was larger than life,” he said. “He had conquered so much. Why was he larger than life? What made him that way? It was because he loved everyone and placed others before himself.”

He was a peacemaker, Carroll said, and at that moment of his death Beck became “more alive than he’s ever been.”
“Can you imagine as much as he loved life, how much he is loving Heaven,” Carroll said.

Warren Beck graduated Geneva High School in 1962 and received a degree in marketing and a master’s in education from Troy University. He was a teacher and assistant principal in Walton County, Fla. before returning to Geneva in 1979. There, he opened an insurance business.

Beck served two terms as mayor of Geneva before being elected a state representative for District 87. He was in his second term.