Our beloved husband and father, Harley Joe “Lucky” Beinkampen, 78, passed away Monday, Jan. 2, 2017.
He is survived by his loving wife, Maria Beinkampen; daughter, Denise Roland, and her husband, Tom; grandchildren, Nicholas, Alexander and Isabella Roland, Devin and Christopher Beinkampen, and their mother, Anna Beinkampen; and siblings, Thomas Lee Beinkampen, Mariedith Hutson, Linda Taylor, Peggy Ann Elick and David Karl Beinkampen.
Harley was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Beinkampen and Elva Childers; and his most beloved son, Paul Joseph Beinkampen. Harley attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in Maryland, where he earned his nickname, “Lucky.”
He also earned an Associate Degree in Engineering from Tidewater Community College. Harley retired from the U.S. Navy as a master chief petty officer after 26 years of service with an impressive 14 Mediterranean cruises under his belt. He was a fire marshal on the naval ships he served on as well as a naval recruiter. After the military, he worked as an engineer for J.J. Henry Co. Inc. in Portsmouth, Va., and was a member of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.
Harley was highly regarded by those who worked for him and by those he worked for. He was a generous man who helped everyone, from rebuilding a monastery in Italy to jumping in a canal in France and saving a drowning stranger. Everyone who crossed his path was better for having had known him. Harley spent his life as a true family man who loved his children and his grandchildren unconditionally. He will be dearly missed.
A celebration of life will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at Altmeyer Funeral Home, Southside Chapel, 5792 Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach, with a reception to follow. A graveside committal service, with full military honors, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, at Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in his honor.
