Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

September 21, 2018

Marion Billie “Bill” Beason

TIERRA VERDE, FLA. – Bill Beason was a rare and fortunate soul. He was a success in business, building a fiberglass manufacturing company from the ground up while also succeeding in the other ways that enrich a life: He cherished his wife and family, doted on four granddaughters who called him PawPaw, and relished simple things like a day on the lake and an evening out with friends.

He passed away unexpectedly at home on Sept. 21, 2018, a good life ended too soon. He was 79.

Bill was born on Jan. 7, 1939, in Cliffside, N.C., the son of Ralph and Sadie Beason. The youngest of three boys, he was raised on the family farm in Rutherford County, an hour or so west of Charlotte. He got his work ethic from his father, who ran a service station and did construction among other labors to support his family. He graduated from Cliffside High and then nearby Gardner-Webb College, where he played basketball. Back in the day, at 6 feet 6, he was a bear of a young man. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from Clemson University in 1961. It was his springboard to a flourishing career.

He started in textiles at Burlington Industries, then moved into fiberglass operations at PPG Industries. Developing a deep knowledge of glass fiber technology, he worked with such industry leaders as Owens Corning and Johns Manville. He took the professional leap of a lifetime in 1991 when he founded B&W Consultants while living in Sylvania, Ohio. It was essentially a two-man consulting operation to the fiberglass industry. The company grew to become B&W Fiberglass, a Shelby-based manufacturing company that employs more than 300. Its expertise led B&W, and Bill, all over the globe to consult with foreign governments and multinational corporations.

Today, B&W has manufacturing plants in North and South Carolina, United Kingdom and Taiwan. Products are made and shipped as raw materials to more than 40 countries around the world.

Bill would tell you that of all the blessings that came his way, nothing topped marrying the former Pamela Gray on July 1, 1978. Their first date, no surprise, was to a Clemson basketball game. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this past summer.

Bill and Pamela’s son, Brent, succeeded him as president of B&W Fiberglass, with Bill remaining involved in the business. Though they moved several times, including to San Antonio, Texas, and Sylvania, Ohio, the Beasons lived for 13 plus years in Forest City, not far from his birthplace. Since 2013, they had been enjoying life in Tierra Verde, near Tampa, Fla., with a second home on Lake Lure.

Bill is survived by his wife, Pamela Gray Beason; two children – Mitzi Lewis and her husband, Gary, of Charlotte, and Brent Beason and his wife, Blair, of Charlotte; four granddaughters – Sara McKenzie Lewis, Sophie Elizabeth Lewis, Anna Gray Beason and Sadie Ellen Beason; and two sister-in-laws, Johnie Dickson and Jerry Beason.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Oren Lee Beason and Donnie Davis Beason.

Bill filled his life with service. He was on the board of the Clemson University Foundation, served as President of the Rutherford-Cleveland County IPTAY club, a founder of the Lake Lure Preservation Society and was appointed to Lake Lure Town Council. He also served his country in the U.S. Army Reserves. Bill bled Clemson orange. Both children graduated from Clemson, and one granddaughter, McKenzie, is currently a sophomore. For the Beasons, there is no better autumn Saturday afternoon than cheering on the powerful Tigers football team to another victory in Death Valley.

A Christian man, he was a member of Island Chapel Church in Tierra Verde, Fla., and Fairfield Mountain Chapel in Lake Lure.

Bill Beason enjoyed working in the yard and being on the water, fishing and boating. He was protective of loved ones. He was larger than life and outgoing, he enjoyed talking with anybody about anything. If there was something he could do for you, he would.

A rare and fortunate soul indeed.

A service to celebrate his life will be at 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 1, at Forest Hill Church, 7224 Park Road in Charlotte. A reception will immediately follow the service at Carmel Country Club, 4735 Carmel Road.

Instead of flowers, a gift in his memory can be made to the Beason Family Endowment established through the Clemson University Foundation to support entrepreneurial leadership. Checks can be made out to the Foundation, marked M. Bill Beason ’61 and Pamela G. Beason Endowment and mailed to P.O. Box 1889, Clemson, S.C. 29633. You can also make a memorial gift at https://cualumni.clemson.edu/remember/bill-beason.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.