Obituary
Friday, July 2, 2021, Thomas (Tom) Alva Beers went to be with the Lord at age 83. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 2, 1937.
Tom joined the Forest Service in the summer of 1957 where he worked as a firefighter. In 1958 he joined the Navy. He served aboard the Destroyer, USS Shelton. Upon being honorably discharged he earned rank of Gunner's Mate 2. In 1962, he rejoined the US Forest Service as a firefighter. He soon worked his way to Tanker Operator, Hilitact Foreman, Slash Burning Foreman, and after 32 years retired as Fire Management Officer at the Gasquet Ranger Station. He was charged with overall operations of many large wildfires across multiple states and forests. His firefighting and weather knowledge skills were trusted, respected and called upon. He was part of the team that was instrumental in developing what is now commonly known as the Incident Command System used worldwide in emergency situations. In his retirement, during the Oregon fires in 1993, Tom was asked to be an instructor in the Oregon fire schools, training others, including National Guard Reserves, to fight wild land fires.
Tom's service to this community was always with children. Tom participated in many Fourth of July Parades and Tiny Tots program as Smokey Bear or Woodsy Owl. He was President of Babe Ruth Baseball for a time. He spent many years in Boy Scouts running the Pinewood Derby. He also participated in the Boy Scout Day Camp "egg drop" for many years.
He loved the outdoors and spent countless hours with his family camping, hiking, fishing, boating and panning for gold. One of his favorite hikes was taking as many as 18 young family nieces and nephews of various ages up Mount Gregory in Montague, California. His love for nature inspired many around him to learn about wildflowers, wildlife, birds, weather and even the stars.
His number one priority was always his family. He was a devoted husband and father. Tom married Alberta Winfield Diggle on June 27, 1964. They celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary on June 27th and share many wonderful memories.
The family includes daughter, Heidi (Ed) Fleshman, son, Thomas, (Ardette Esselstrom) Beers, and son, Timothy (Alisha) Beers. Grandchildren: Mikayla Winfield Fleshman, Bailie Rae Beers, Thomas Conner Beers, Silas Timothy Beers and Ava May Beers; "adopted" Granddaughter Emily Lynn Holt. Tom enjoyed many nieces and nephews along with his extended family.
A Celebration of Tom’s Life will be held at the Crescent City Foursquare Church on July 17, 2021, at 10 AM with graveside services and reception to follow. The family asks that any desired donations be given to the Crescent City Foursquare Church Youth.