Wallace E. Beaber

Wallace E. Beaber, a longtime resident of Northville, passed away June 18, 2021.  Always known as “Wally”, he was born on April 11, 1923 in the Village of Halfway, Michigan; son of Chester and Alice (nee Horey) Beaber.  After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Wally was drafted and proudly served as a Flight Officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He trained as a fighter pilot then served as a B29 Flight Engineer.  He was united in marriage to Janet A. Malloy on June 25, 1960; lovingly devoted to each other for 61 years.

He graduated from East Detroit High School, class of 1941 and continued his education on the G.I. Bill at Wayne State University after World War II where he received a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering.  He was a Mechanical Engineer with Ford Motor Company and achieved “Professional Engineer" (P.E.) accreditation while developing multiple patents in the automotive field.  He worked for Ford for 45 years where he was known as 'V8 Wally' and 'The Father of the 5.0L Engine'; retiring in 2007.

Wally was a member of the Great Lakes Timing Association, a group of motorcycle riders and boating enthusiasts.  He enjoyed cruising on and performance tuning his '34 Harley Davidson VL and '35 Indian Scout motorcycles and being on the water.  Wally was also a member of both SAE and ASME; organizations he joined due to his Engineering profession.  Since he was a young boy, he was fascinated with airplanes and relished the opportunity the military provided him of learning to fly. This love of planes led him to purchase after the war his own 1940 Stinson Model 10 airplane which he flew mostly throughout Michigan.  He loved the history of aviation and was a proud participating member of The Yankee Air Force. Wally had a green-thumb and was a highly organized gardener.  He was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren.  Wally was a dependable and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.

He is survived by his beloved wife Janet; his children, James (Heidi) Beaber, Dianne (David) Barrett, and Gregory (Suzanne) Beaber; and his grandchildren, Ryan Beaber, Katherine Beaber, Emma Barrett, Isabella Barrett and Brandon Beaber.  He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Landis Jackson “Jack” Beaber, his sister Berenice A. Heuer, and his grandson William Eastwood Barrett.

Visitation will be held Thursday, June 24, 2021 from 5pm until 8pm. A funeral service will be held Friday, June 25, 2021 at 10am with visitation beginning at 9:30am at Casterline Funeral Home, 122 West Dunlap, Northville. He will be laid to rest at Rural Hill Cemetery where full military honors will be rendered.

In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to Macular Degeneration Research , 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871.