Ray W. Bean Obituary (1923

Our husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, Ray W. Bean, passed peacefully away on August 26th 2015, at the age of 92. Ray was born on March 9, 1923 in Provo, Utah to Donald Howard and Bertha Whiting Bean and was of Scottish and Irish ancestry. Ray was the 2nd of eight children, all boys except for his older sister, Vera. When he was very young, his family moved to Price, Utah, so that his father could take a better job. He spent much of his youth in Price and had many good memories of that time. As Ray grew into a young man, World War II was in full swing and he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He took basic training in Florida and then was sent to England, where he became the tail gunner in a B-24 bomber and flew 53 missions over Nazi Europe. When the war ended, he returned to his family in American Fork, where they had moved during the war. There he met and married Mary Wright who passed away. He then met our mother, Verna Mae Whiting, and they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on June 2, 1952. They became the parents of four children. Ray took a hydro plant operator job with Utah Power and Light Co., working at the Olmsted Hydro Plant at the mouth of Provo Canyon. He moved his young family with their oldest three children to an apartment building where he and Verna had a dream of better things; they bought an acre and a half on the Lindon bench and began to build a home. He wound up building the entire family home with his own hands where he and Verna spent the rest of their lives. He loved planes and he loved to fly, but in a minimalist way. He talked for many years about building his own plane and acquired the plans for several home-built designs. He also began to learn to fly and spent many hours acquiring a learner's permit and then a solo pilot's license. He also collected stamps and tools and showed some talent for painting; several very passable works adorn the walls of the family home. Ray spent 30 years with Utah Power and Light, mostly as an equipment operator, working with the same crew for much of the time. He spoke of them fondly and often. He retired in 1983. He was a faithful member of and held several callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, including his favorite, Ward Clerk. He also loved being in the temples of the Church and performing service there and was very happy when he and Verna were called to serve as temple worker missionaries for the Church. They spent a year and a half serving in the Washington DC temple and enjoyed that great experience. As their family matured, Ray and Verna attended many birthday and other family celebrations and blessed all of their children's and grandchildren's lives. They were active in a family organization of his brothers and sister and their spouses. As they became elderly, they very much enjoyed their home teachers, including Gary Hoglund, from the local ward of the Church, who performed many wonderful acts of love and service for them. We, Ray's wife and children, express our gratitude to our Father in Heaven for our earthly father's good life and his many services to us and his love for us. Ray is survived by his wife, Verna, his children: Greg (Patrice), Jacque (Ron), Dennis (Liz), and Robert (Elise), 14 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, brothers: Bert, Earl, and Scott. He was preceded in death by his parents, Don and Bertha, his sister, Vera, and brothers: Howard, Don L. and Jim. Funeral services will be held Monday, August 31, 2015 at 11:00 a. m in the Lindon Seventh Ward Chapel, 731 East Center, Lindon with a viewing one hour prior to the services, Family and friends may also attend an evening viewing Sunday, August 30, 2015 from 6 - 8 p.m. at Olpin Family Mortuary, 494 South 300 East, Pleasant Grove, Utah. Interment will be in the Lindon City Cemetery at a later date. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.olpinmortuary.com The family would like to express their heart-felt gratitude to Canyon Home Health and Hospice personnel for their loving care of our husband and father.