Robert Lincoln Beardsley

Robert Lincoln Beardsley lived a life of friendship, family, and service.Linc lost his year long battle with liver cancer at 2:30 a.m. March 22, 2010, while close family members were by his side.Born Dec. 13, 1921, to Merton Beardsley and Marie Everett Bradley. Linc grew up on the family farm near Montville, with his older brother, Berton and younger sister, Sadie. Linc loved the life of a farmer and enjoyed raising sheep and gardening until late in life.Robert Lincoln Beardsley was Bob to his workmates, Linc to his family, and Grandpa to his seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He lived for 88 years in Montville and Wooster.Soon after high school; however, Linc answered the call to service and served as a radioman second class in the Navy from Sept. 28, 1942, until Dec. 7, 1945, when working in a personnel office, he decided he had been there long enough and he discharged himself. While serving, Linc had both on-shore and ship-board assignments in various locations on the east and west coasts, but he spent the majority of his service on the USS Willmarth (DE 638) in the South Pacific. He participated in the major battles of Leyte Gulf and Okinawa and months of escort duty and patrolling in the Solomons and various other locations in the Theater of Operations.Returning from the War, Linc held various positions ending up working full-time as a master machinist, retiring from the Cleveland Equipment Plant of the General Electric Company, after 20 years of service.Throughout his life, he helped his father and later his brother with the family farm. He also became close friends with Erwin Junior Gingerich III of Middlefield, sharing their love of family, farming, maple syrup making.Linc married his longtime sweetheart, Phyllis Blair Clark June 21, 1987. From that date, they continued to live both on the family farm in Montville and in the city of Wooster, where Phyllis had raised her family and was an established figure in the local arts community. Together, they traveled the United States and Canada including visits to various ceramic artists and, of course, the annual reunion of the crew of the U.S.S. Willmarth.Through his natural charm and pleasant disposition, Linc became an adopted member of the annual Functional Ceramics show, curated by Phyllis, and of many functions of the Ohio Designer Craftsmen.Linc was preceded in death by his parents, Merton and Marie (nee Bradley) Beardsley; and brother, Berton.He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Blair (nee Clark) Beardsley; sister, Sadie (Al) Stanley; stepchildren, Dennis (Susie) Clark, Lynn Clark, Diane (nee Clark) (David) Moore and Craig (Bobbie) Clark; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Also many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.