Thomas Edson Beatty's Obituary
Denver, NC — Thomas Edson Beatty, “Captain Tom,” the kindest, gentlest man most of us have ever known, died Oct. 16 as he lived, peacefully at home in Denver near the shoreline of his beloved Lake Norman surrounded by his family.
He was 81.
His was a full, rewarding life full of love and adventure. He held a Coast Guard master captain’s license, the highest license conferred by the U.S. Coast Guard. Over his lifetime, he owned 19 boats. He also was a licensed private pilot and a scuba diver. His last and favorite boat was a 31-foot Tiara cruiser named Tee Time, which he once piloted from West Palm Beach across the challenging Gulf Stream to the Bahamas and back with his wife Linda.
She, children Brad and Jennifer, and grandson Alex were the center of Tom’s universe. Beyond all his accomplishments, he was most proud of them. From the beginning, young Alex didn’t call Tom, “Grandpa.” He called him “Captain.”
When Alex was three, Tom built him a nine-foot-long bed shaped like a Chris-Craft cruiser – complete with helm, horn and instrument panel. It took Tom nine months to build it. But that was Tom. Quietly and without bragging, he could do practically anything. Linda’s brother, Donnie Reid, needed a construction lift and a dolly to shoehorn the bed into Alex’s second floor bedroom.
Tom was born April 23, 1943 in Muskogee, OK. He came from good stock. His parents, Edson and Jean Beatty, were awarded Civil Air Patrol Congressional Gold medals during World War II for flying coastal routes looking for enemy aircraft and submarines. Tom grew up in Mountain Lakes, NJ. He followed in his father’s footsteps with a love of airplanes, which grew into a passion for boats. It was during his youth in Mountain Lakes that he fell in love with the water. He would ice skate or canoe his way to school. During summers, he was a lifeguard.
Tom graduated from Greensboro College. He met Linda in an accounting class. She was the only woman in the class with five men. Upon seeing her for the first time, Tom blurted out, “Well, guys, there goes the curve.” He was right. She scored the highest grade in the class.
Tom was a hopeless romantic. True to his love of Linda and the water, he proposed to her in Moonlight Bay on Lake Norman June 29, 1967. She said yes.
They began 57 years of marriage in Charlotte. Tom worked for the Reid family grocery business, Park ‘N Shop, before building a home for their growing family in Matthews. From there, they followed the American Dream, becoming small business owners of a Matthews gift and antique shop called Southern Manor.
But the call of the water was strong. The shoreline of Lake Norman was calling Tom’s name. In 1987, he built his family a home on the lake where they lived for 37 years until his death. Linda and Tom opened several gift stores, including Hallmark stores in Cornelius and Huntersville.
But Tom’s love remained on the lake, and learning was a family affair. He and son Brad got their boat captain’s licenses together. Tom went on to earn his Master 100-ton captain’s license, which authorized him to captain vessels up to 100 tons, larger than his wallet could support. He and Brad also got their scuba diving license together and often worked lake rescue projects for TowBoat US. Tom enjoyed watching Jennifer follow in his footsteps earning her private pilot’s license at a young age.
He was a member of the Lake Norman Power Squadron from 1989 to 2010.
When Tom retired, he enjoyed delivering food for Meals on Wheels, visiting shut-in friends, trips to Charleston where they owned a condo and imprinting his love of the water and boats on grandson Alex. Captain and Alex would take early morning “dips” in Lake Norman and talk constantly about boats. By the time he was five, Alex would sit between Tom’s legs at the helm. By age 10, Alex had learned master piloting and how to dock a twin-engine boat.
Tom’s friends loved him.
Mike Mowrey, who with his wife Sally, knew Tom for 20 years, remembered, “We met through Davidson United Methodist Church’s Diners group. We all became tremendous friends. We dined, traveled, cruised, laughed and shared many great adventures. Tom was our social butterfly. We had to add extra time when we went places because Tom would be making new friends wherever we went. Captain was a vibrant spirit, always considerate, gracious, kind and fun. He had a special way of making everyone feel valued and appreciated. I will forever cherish the memories of his generous heart and his friendship.”
Rev. Jody Seymour, who was Tom’s pastor at DUMC, recalled, “Tom was a tall man who helped everybody look up and a man of strength whose gentleness was pervasive.”
Walker Lundy, another old friend from the Diners group, said, “Tom was special. He was one of the kindest men I ever knew. He loved his family and he loved his friends. When you needed help, Tom was the one you called. I will miss him forever.”
A memorial service will be November 14 at 2 p.m. at the Davidson United Methodist Church followed by a celebration of Tom’s life at the Safe Harbor Peninsula Yacht Club. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be mailed to Carolina Caring Foundation, 3975 Robinson Road, Newton, NC 28658 (https://www.carolinacaring.org/give) or Alzheimer’s research (https://act.alz.org/site/Donation).
In addition to Linda, children Brad Beatty (Heidi), Jennifer Bundy and grandson Alex Bundy, Tom is survived by twin sisters Sue Petrie (Glenn) and Deb Dent (Mark). Tom is preceded in death by his parents Edson and Jean Beatty of Maitland, FL and his brother Rick Beatty of New Jersey.
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