Lowell Beecher, 82, a lifetime Graham County resident, died on January, 6, 2023 in Lawrence, Kansas.
Lowell was born on November 21, 1940, at the family farm one mile north of what had previously been the Spring Creek trading center, 15 miles northeast of Hill City, Kansas. His birthplace was the home constructed by homesteader Frank Heyer in 1909. He was the third-born son of Glenn and Margaret (Stewart) Beecher.
Denied the opportunity to attend Spring Creek District #27 School—as had his two siblings—by school consolidation, Lowell was enrolled in Hill City’s yet-to-be-completed brick-and-mortar elementary school in the late summer of 1946. Nevertheless, his early attendance at the Spring Creek United Brethren in Christ Church—another feature of the trading center and a structure his grandfather, Edward H. Beecher, helped construct early in 1911—instilled an interest in early Graham County history which was to dominate his retirement years.
Following his graduation from Hill City Memorial High School in 1958 and his completion of his A.B. in English from Fort Hays State College in 1962, Lowell was contracted for a period of two consecutive terms by Palco High School. On June 2 of the same year, Lowell and Janice Super were united in marriage at Hill City’s Christian Church. Then, in 1964, Lowell left Palco for Hill City High School, a tenure which was to last for the next 38 years.
In 1969, daughter Amy Leigh, the Beecher’s only child, was born; she was her parents’ greatest gift, the devoted child who lavished love and assistance upon her parents through their middle and declining years.
In 1970, the family of three acquired their permanent home in Hill City, the same residence in which Janice had spent her youth from age seven to her maturity, and which the Beecher family would occupy for the next 53 years.
Upon his retirement in 2002, Lowell became involved with the Graham County Historical Society, a pastime-turned-passion which was to endure and occupy many involved hours for the balance of his productive life. Teamed with his history-devoted wife and Graham County native, Betty Parker Elliott, the three built countless archival files of family genealogy, settlement histories, cemetery records, and a multitude of other compilations. The three were also instrumental in the reorganization of the vast holdings of the Society’s museum.
It was during this time, with the research assistance of wife, Janice, and frequent copyediting expertise of daughter, Amy, that he composed three locally-published books of Graham County history, the most significant of which remains a history of Millbrook, the first county seat of Graham County.
Concurrently, he maintained a regular-feature historical column in the Hill City Times newspaper and submitted for publication a number of historical features highlighting Graham County’s past.
After Janice’s passing, Lowell was supported by daughter Amy who visited frequently and served as his chauffer on their many road trips exploring western Kansas. The two spent precious days traveling, cooking, and watching Kansas basketball together.
Lowell was predeceased by his wife, Janice, on October 7, 2018, following 56 years of marriage. He also followed his parents, Glenn and Margaret Beecher, brother Wayne E. Beecher and Wayne’s wife, Mary Delores “Del” Beecher, his wife’s parents, Max and Clara (Evans) Super, and a brother-in-law and his wife, Bill and Bernice (Nutsch) Super.
He is survived by his beloved daughter, Amy, of Lawrence, Kansas, his brother, Lynn Beecher of Kansas City, Missouri, and his nieces and nephews. Also surviving are many cousins, including the favored “Stewart kids” who also grew to adulthood in Hill City.
Services will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Graham County Public Library or the University of Kansas Cancer Center for brain cancer research, in care of Stinemetz Funeral Home, 522 N. Pomeroy Ave., Hill City, KS 67642