Family brings Larry Beem’s personality to life with colorful obituary

Some obituaries are very matter-of-fact about the deceased’s life with very little to show their personality.

The obituary for Larry Beem, former New Mexico State University golf coach, is anything but ordinary. Beem was 78.

“To say he was a loving, kind, sensitive man, would be total BS. In saying that, there was no shortage of compassion and understanding in the man. He was funny, stubborn, and blunt, but if asked, he would give you all the time he had. He loved the game of golf fiercely, and was very proud of his T72 finish in the 1958 L.A. Open,” states his obituary in the Las Cruces Sun-News.

Beem starred for NM State linksters from 1962-64. He was honored as the Aggies first-ever golf All-American in 1964 after advancing to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships.

The 1964 NM State graduate in business administration was inducted into the US Bank/NM State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.

“In 1990, he was inducted into the NMSU Hall of Fame, and was especially proud of the fact that his picture hangs in the Pan Am Center over the mens restroom,” his obituary states.

After spending 40 years as a mainstay in the golf industry as a head golf professional and course general manager, Beem returned to his alma mater as head golf coach in 1998 and served for six years before retiring in 2004.

He coached Aggies Scott Lieberworth and Jon Babich to three consecutive conference individual championships from 1999-2001, and led the Aggies to consecutive second place team titles in the rugged Big West Conference of the late 90s.

Beem is the father of PGA professional Rich Beem, another Aggie Hall of Famer and champion of the 2002 PGA Championship among five pro tour wins.

Beem was a lifetime member of the Sun Country section of the Professional Golfers Association.

So, how did his four children rank in terms of his favorite, kinda favorite, etc.?

Check it out by reading the full obituary at http://bit.ly/1KYaZ4c