Gordon Clifford Beeton was born in Boston on December 7, 1944, to
Isabella (Gordon) Beeton and Benjamin Clifford Beeton.
He attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, studying
German and intending to pursue an academic career in that area.
In support of this intention, he spent his junior year in Germany,
at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau. He received his
B.A. degree from Clark in 1966, and was accepted by Brown University
for graduate study.
Rather than completing an advanced degree at Brown, he married a
fellow student, Barbara (Neuhaus) Smith, whom he met in an Old High
German class, and set out to become knowledgeable about computers.
In time he became a skilled mainframe systems programmer and security
officer. He worked for a number of companies in two main areas:
yarns and textiles, and medical products and services. He retired
when mainframes were overtaken by minicomputers and then joined the
Docent staff at the Roger Williams Park Zoo as a volunteer, where he
remained for over 20 years. He also served as a guide at several
park and historical areas in Rhode Island, explaining to visitors
the importance of those locations in the state's history.
He was a voracious reader, interested in almost anything factual,
but with an occasional foray into speculative fiction. He also
enjoyed theater and music, mostly early classical and traditional
folk music, all of which are well represented in Rhode Island.
Gordon left this life on February 22, 2024, after a struggle with
central nervous system lymphoma. He will be interred in the
"green" area of Swan Point Cemetery, with funeral services private.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Barbara.
Donations in lieu of flowers, can be made online at
www.HopeHealthCo.org/InMemory or sent to
HopeHealth Hospice, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904.
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