William H. Beckett

William H. “ Bill” Beckett 81 of Rockford passed into the arms of his loving Savior on Friday December 13, 2019 at home. Bill was born on June 28, 1938 in Cannonsburg, the son of Irving and Mary ( Davis)  Beckett Sr. Born into a large family, Bill  roamed, played and worked on the family farm. In earlier years he worked as a parking attendant in downtown Grand Rapids for many years, later as a hi-lo driver for the Bowman Co. and then working as a door to door milkman, delivering glass bottles of milk for the Maple Grove Dairy until they were bought out by Quality Creamery of Comstock Park. He was fondly known as “ Grandpa Milky” to a lot of the kids on his routes. He worked there until the company closed in 1998. He then delivered flowers for Andicott Floral, then started his own lawn care business,  until finally retiring. He loved to play baseball in his younger years and later enjoyed bowling. Bill was a member of Ashley Baptist Church in Belding where he was known to many kids as the ‘Candy Man”. He enjoyed picking on the younger men about not wearing a tie to church on Sunday. He enjoyed spending time in the yard with his grand children and having backyard picnics with family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Marcia of 43 years, a daughter LeAnn Sue, a son Gregg Allen, his siblings; MaryLee, Bob, Tom, Ed, Dick, Jack, Don, Jim, Russ and Irv.

Bill is loved and survived by his sons; Jay Beckett of Rockford, Todd ( Debbie) Beckett of Linden, grandchildren; Kayla Beckett, Karlie Beckett, Sarah Bratcher( Jason Bahen) Ben Bratcher( Danielle Ward) Ben (Amanda) VanMullekom, Zach VanMullekom, Grant VanMullekom, Bella VanMullekom, Hunter Janeczek, great grandchildren; Lylah Bratcher, Kenna Bahen, Stefan VanMullekom, his brother Ray of Ada, a sister Alice Shear of Grand Rapids sister in laws; Fran Beckett, Gert Beckett, Nancy Beckett, Peggy Clifford, Bobbie Jo Ellens, several nieces, nephews a special cousins; Don (Cathy) Franks.

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM Saturday December 21, 2019 at Ashley Baptist Church with Dr. David A. Oliver officiating. Visitation will be Friday from 2-4 & 6-8 PM at church and one hour before the funeral. A luncheon will take place at church following the funeral. Interment will be in Blythefield Memory Gardens, Rockford. Memorials may be given to the Ashely Baptist  Church-Building Fund, Spectrum Health Hospice or Interim Care. Envelopes will be available at the church or Johnson-Feuerstein Funeral Home, Belding where funeral care has been entrusted. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William H. Beckett, please visit our floral store.