Obituary of Mervin E Beard

Mervin E. Beard, 93 of Elm Ave, Little York, NY, passed away surrounded by his family August 26, 2010 at the Cortland Regional Medical Center . Mr. Beard was born November 19, 1916 in Beaver Dams, NY the son of the late Leon and Frieda Spatz Beard. Mr. Beard had served in the US Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot with the Flying Tigers, serving in India-Burma during WW II. He retired from the US Air Force Reserve as a major. Mervin received his BS from Geneseo in 1938 and his MS in Education from the University of Maryland. He spent his career as an educator, retiring as Assistant Superintendant of the Cortland-Madison BOCES in 1972. While at BOCES he had been instrumental in the formation of the vocational education programs. Mr. Beard had been a member of the Homer Masonic Lodge, the Cortland Amaranth, the Skyline Amateur Radio Club and the China-Burma-India Veterans Assoc. Mr. Beard is survived by his wife of 65 years Carolyn Davison Beard, two sons; Douglas (Sabrina) Beard of Austin, TX and James (Sheila) Beard of Walkersville, MD. One sister Doris (Dr. Harry) Radcliffe of Daytona Beach, FL. Five grandchildren; Garth Beard, Douglas Beard Jr., Kimberly Urban, Jeffrey and Brian Beard. Four great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Mr. Beard was predeceased by his parents and two sisters Marjorie Beard and Louise Aguiar. A funeral service will be held on Monday at 1:00 PM at the Wright-Beard Funeral Home, 9 Lincoln Ave, Cortland with the Rev Suzanne Block officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in Glenwood Cemetery in Homer. Friends are invited to call at the funeral home on Sunday afternoon 3:00- 5:00 PM. Those wishing to make memorial contributions are asked to consider the Cortland YMCA, 22 Tompkins St., Cortland, NY 13045. To offer condolences online, visit www.wright-beard.com. Jim and Sheila and family, Please accept our deepest condolences on the loss of your father. Gene and Amy Whitney Our deepest sympathies Cortland Area Retired Teachers' Association