Kenneth N. Beard

Imagine everything a man witnesses in 104 years, and yet he told the same seven stories every time I saw him. Grandpa Kenny entered this world on March 13, 1922 in Sullivan, Ohio to parents Charles Henry and Edna Mary (Holbrook) Beard and passed from it on April 16, 2026 at 5:15 PM at Bayley Senior Care in Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up so poor that his family was completely unaffected by the great depression. Turns out the bank can't take your cows if you were never able to afford a loan in the first place. After graduating from Sullivan High School. He enlisted in the US Army and joined the second world war where he was a switchboard operator and built decoy airplanes to confuse the Japanese imperial army while he was stationed in the Aleutian Islands. He overcame spinal meningitis in the 40's even though there was no real treatment until the 60's. He survived bears in his camp, and several construction accidents, including a fall from a second story roof top where he was knocked out and saw angels. I guess they weren't quite ready for him for another 50 years. He outlived 3 wives and a few girlfriends. We sprayed lysol on nearly 100 cards so he could still celebrate his birthday in a global pandemic. He has seen 17 US presidents. On July 4, 2018 he was the Cincinnati Reds hometown hero. He told me it was one of his best days and asked for months if we could go back to another ball game. If you know him at all, you know why a stadium full of people celebrating his military service was one of his favorite days. He also really enjoyed our trip to Dollywood to see the holiday lights. Just about everyone we met paused to thank him for his service. He loved the attention. He will certainly be missed, but 49 years is a good long time for a kid to know his grandpa. I am blessed.

Kenneth was a member of Homerville Grace Brethren Church, VFW in Northfield, Ohio, American Legion Post 219 of Polk, Ohio and a fishing club in Twinsburg, Ohio. His hobbies included stamp collecting and baseball, basketball and football cards that he has been collecting since 1934.

He is survived by his children; Terry Beard (Joanne), Cyndi Sawchak (Al), Joni Williams and Scott (Kristi) Beard, 15 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren and 13 great great grandchildren.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his parents; wives; Betty, Charlotte, Pauline and Daisy, four sisters, two brothers and a son-in-law; Wes Williams.

Visitation for Kenneth will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026 at Homerville Grace Brethren Church with the funeral service immediately following, Pastor George Swain will be officiating the service. Burial will follow the service at Southview Cemetery in Sullivan where military rites will be conducted.

The staff at the Matteson Funeral Home is honored to serve the Beard family as we honor Kenneth’s memory. If you have a photo or memory of Kenneth to share, please share one on the Matteson Funeral Home website at mattesonfh.com.