Sam Beck

Sam Beck, age 85, passed away Thursday December 19, 2019 at Trinity Elms Health and Rehab and will spend Christmas with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His declining health brought him in and out of the hospital during 2019. A celebration of his life will be held at 3:00pm on Sunday, December 22, 2019, at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC. The family will receive friends prior to the service between 2:00-3:00 pm. A private burial will be Monday, December 23rd at Westlawn Gardens of Memory in Clemmons, NC. Reverend Truett Williams Sr. will officiate the service.   In lieu of flowers, Sam Beck had earlier requested that any gifts be made to Calvary Baptist Church for Student Missions/Camps. Online condolences may be made to www.hayworth-miller.com.  Sam was born November 20, 1934, in Forsyth County to the late Noah Winfield Beck and Nannie (Teague) Beck. He is preceded in death by five brothers: N.W. Beck, Jesse Beck, Henry Beck, Clifton Beck, and Bobby Beck, as well as two sisters, Wilma (Beck) Smith, and Nancy (Beck) Mickey. Sam is survived by the love of his life, his wife of nearly 60 years, Glenda Ann (Easter) Beck, his daughter Joanie (Truett) Williams, his son, Steve (Dawn) Beck, his twin grandchildren who have been the joy of his life, Truett (Hannah) Williams Jr., Kaleigh (Ben) Beason, and his new great-granddaughter, Emory Laurel Beason, along with his younger brother Jimmy Beck.  Sam graduated from Gray High School in 1952.  As a senior he was the most valuable football player in the Piedmont Bowl and received the Brevard Hoover Award in 1953. He attended Lees-McCrae Junior College on a football scholarship where he played quarterback and punted for two years. Sam served 3 years in the United States Air Force as a military police specialist. Sam loved his country and proudly displayed the American flag at his home. He also played football as a quarterback for Torrejon Air Force Base in Madrid, Spain, and traveled Europe playing other military bases. After his military service, Sam furthered his education at Appalachian State University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and Physical Education in 1966.  Known to many athletes as Coach Beck, Sam first started his coaching and teaching career at Mineral Springs Junior High from 1966-1969, then on to West Forsyth High School where he was head baseball coach and assistant football coach.  He was named the 4A Coach of the Year his first year at West Forsyth in 1970. He later coached at Forbush High School where he was head coach in football and baseball for 4 years. He was named Teacher of the Year there at Forbush. He coached and taught at Woodland Christian School starting football and baseball teams there. Coach Beck went on to Davie High School where he was assistant football coach, and then on to newly created North Davie Junior High where he was named Athletic Director, teaching PE and coaching football and baseball. Coach Beck was very proud of the Booster program there. For 30 years Coach Beck loved coaching and taught student athletes to work hard and show respect for others. He was elected to the Winston-Salem Forsyth County High School Hall of Fame for Football and Coaching in 1995.  Sam Beck was an avid gardener and spent much of his time outdoors in his yard. He loved Southern Gospel music. He also loved being a member of Calvary Baptist Church for nearly 44 years. He taught Sunday School for 12 years, mainly to 7th grade students. In his later years, Sam will always be remembered for working in his yard, driving his truck, wearing a baseball cap, and lovingly sharing about his family, especially his grandchildren.  The family would like to thank Trinity Elms Rehabilitation Center and Hospice for lovingly taking care of their Husband/father/grandfather A special thank you goes to Bradley Jones, Sam’s neighbor, who has so eloquently documented on film the life of Sam Beck through interviews with him, his family, and former athletes.

Philippians 3:13-14  “Now dear believers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energy to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I have strained to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.”