(Dec. 23, 2019) – A celebration of life service for T. David Beck was held at Newport Covenant Church in Bellevue, Wash., on Saturday, Nov. 23. He died Nov. 4.
David was born on May 30, 1961, in Poplar Bluff, Mo., to Tim and Doris Beck.
David earned his bachelor’s degree at Ball State University, a master’s of theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and his doctorate in theology at Southern Methodist University.
He married Susan Frommer on Dec. 31, 1988.
David was intellectual yet practical, passionate about what he called, “the simple way of Jesus.”
He served as associate pastor at Kings Harbor Church and Life Covenant Church in Torrance, Calif.; Sanctuary Covenant Church in Sacramento, Calif.; and Newport Covenant Church in Seattle. A particularly cherished memory of David’s ministry was his mission work in Haiti. He served on the board of directors of Child Hope International, a multifaceted mission focused on orphaned, abandoned and needy children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He also taught at several seminaries.
David wrote two books, “The Holy Spirit and the Renewal of All Things” and “Luminous: Living the Presence and Power of Jesus.” He also authored multiple articles, including several for the Covenant Companion.
His spirit and approach to life were captured in a Nov. 2018 Companion article about battling pancreatic cancer in which he wrote: “Yes, I have cancer—and I’m happy. That’s an objective fact. I am reading a book called ‘Flourish,’ by Martin Seligman, about the psychology of human happiness. I took the happiness inventory and scored ‘happier’ than about 97 percent of the people who take the test. I’m not trying to brag. This is actually how I feel. And I have the most lethal form of cancer there is.”
He is survived by his wife, Susan; children Lauren, Spencer, Nathaniel and son-in-law Ryan; three grandchildren; father and stepmother; mother and stepfather, brother and sister-in-law.
Donations may be made to the Northwest Pacific Conference Pastor Fund or GoFundMe to help the family with expenses.
