Arlene Louise Beeman

Arlene Louise (Sackett) Beeman, 97, went home to heaven, Thursday, February 20, 2025. Arlene was born February 7, 1928, in Traverse City, Michigan, to Henry and Georgia (Baker) Sackett. She was raised on a family farm on Silver Lake, where she and her sister, Rhoda, attended school in Grawn, walking 2 ¼ miles to and from school each day. On occasion, the family moved back to Traverse City, where she attended Oak Park and Boardman schools. She enjoyed her childhood at the lake, where summers were spent swimming, diving, and doing cartwheels off the dock, as she and her sister entertained patrons of a nearby resort. Summer cottage owners from Ohio were a big part of her childhood, as they taught she and her sister to swim, and took them on many boat rides. Winters were spent sliding and ice skating on Silver Lake. When Arlene attended Central High School in Traverse City, she worked and boarded at various homes in town to avoid the long bus ride from Silver Lake each day. In January 1947 she married the late Bert Raymond Beeman. In 1955 they built a home on the north end of Silver Lake where they raised their family. Arlene was a woman of great faith. She was a member of Bayview Wesleyan Church, where she enjoyed her church family and had many cherished, lifelong friends. She also enjoyed sewing, crafts, reading and traveling. She was a chairperson of the Laubach Literacy Program, tutoring adult non-readers. When her husband retired in 1984, they spent their winters in Florida, Texas and Arizona, and traveled the United States in their motor home. Hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon was a highlight of their travels, along with vacations to Hawaii and Alaska. They visited Europe with friends in 1976. They belonged to Friendship Force International and hosted a couple from Berlin for a week in 1988. They were privileged to be hosted in a home in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1989. Arlene is survived by her children, Carolyn Graves (Ronald), Joanne Sparks (Larry) and Duane Beeman (Bethany). She had seven grandchildren, Heather Bankston (George), Jacob Graves (Christie), Holly Jo Sparks, Tim Sparks (Kristin), Casey Beeman (Kylie), Alissa Gallagher (Ryan) and Anna-Shea Becker (Michael). She was “GG” to her eleven great grandchildren, Ashlyn Bankston, Samantha Stuckey (Nathan), Emmaleigh Graves, Christian Heuer Sparks, Tyler and Gracie Sparks, Celyn Sparks, Brooks and Johanna Becker and Lucas and Liam Gallagher. The newest edition to her family is a great-great grandson Boleyn “Bo” Stuckey. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and precious friends. Arlene was preceded in death by her husband, Bert Beeman, her parents, her brother Archie Groesser, and sister Rhoda Kinney Arlene’s family thanks the wonderful staff from Munson Hospice, and the loving caregivers at Bayridge Assisted Living for the care that they provided in her final days. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Bay View Wesleyan Church at 2pm on Sunday, July 20 with a visitation starting at 1pm. Kindly share thoughts and memories with her family at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.

Arlene Louise Beeman

February 7, 1928 - February 20, 2025