Richard Wayne Beasley

Richard Wayne Beasley

Richard Wayne Beasley, 73, resident of Spartanburg, South Carolina, passed away on May 13th after a long battle with dementia.

Ric was born in Montgomery, Alabama on 28th November 1946. As child of a US Air Force fighter pilot, Ric lived in many places during his early life, including Nome, Alaska; Wiesbaden, Germany; Etaine, France; Clovis, New Mexico; San Antonio, Texas and Homestead, Florida where he graduated from Miami-Dade High School in 1965. Ric spent his early adult years in and around Florida surfing, fishing, diving and sailing until he joined the Army in 1968. Following two years running tanks in the Army, he got a job with AT&T in Miami. Ric’s love of the water drew him back to boats and the ocean and he worked some yacht deliveries in the Caribbean, before transferring to tugs and workboats and starting to sit for his merchant marine licenses. 

In May 1977, Ric moved to the Atlantic Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) on Andros, Bahamas, where he hired on with the Marine Department. Within a year, he was promoted to captain and captained many of the ships in the Marine Dept., including the Keystone, the 711, YFU 91, Rangemaster, the Ranger and the Range Rover. As a captain he traveled as far north as the Gulf of Maine, as far east as Bermuda and into the Gulf of Mexico. His reputation as a Captain preceded him; at one time he had retrieved more torpedoes at sea that any other captain in the world and was called as a consultant by the Navy in situations that had gone awry. He ended his career at AUTEC as the Port Captain, in charge of training for the Marine Dept., and relief ship captain. He retired in 2011 after 33 years at AUTEC and moved to Campobello, SC.

Throughout his life and illness, Ric retained a wonderful sense of humor. He loved his grandfather’s mantra that you should never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Ric had many good stories, but didn’t have to tell too many lies! He was passionate about the ocean and spent many happy hours on the water. He adored the Bahamian people and loved showing people all the treasures to be found on Andros.  

Ric was a devoted husband and father who was treasured by Candy, Cole and Leigh. Many memories were made over his delicious dinners while he “held court” at the kitchen table, solving the world’s problems and keeping his family laughing. Ric had an incredible appetite for fun and a wild imagination, managing to cultivate a special kind of magic in everyday life. He had a tremendous sense of justice and wasn’t afraid to fight for what was right.  His family and friends knew him to be fearless – sometimes to a fault!

Ric is survived by his wife, Candy; son Cole Beasley; daughter Leigh Beasley Johnson and son-in-law Carter Chase Johnson. He is also survived by his sister Janice Lynn McCullers; brother-in-law Robert Lee McCullers and their daughters Laura McCullers Mikos and Lindy McCullers Carmichael. Ric is preceded in death by his father Lt. Col. Carlos Obie Beasley, USAF, his mother Nell Rea Sue Saltz Beasley and his beloved rat terrier, Tug.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Spartanburg Alzheimer’s Association, 4600 Park Road, Suite 250, Charlotte, NC 28209, attn Spartanburg Walk to End Alzhiemers), who provided Candy with much-needed support as Ric’s health declined.   The website alz.org allows donations to the SC Chapter.

Funeral services will be at a later date.

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