William Lee Beam, 88, formerly of Cambridge, died on September 11, 2023, at 8:40 p.m. at a Raleigh, North Carolina hospital. He was born on July 21, 1935, in Cambridge, to Albert Erven Beam and Mary Kathryn Mehok Beam.
He graduated from Cambridge's Central High School in 1954. He married the former Judith Josephine Otterstedt on December 26, 1959. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy as a Hull Technician, serving on 6 vessels, from Norfolk to Jacksonville to San Diego to Japan and to Vietnam. Retiring as a Hull Technician Chief Senior in 1974, he returned to Cambridge in 1974.
After retiring, he started a second career driving tractor trailers until 2007 and resided on Lakeside Drive in Cambridge. He and Judy moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2016, where they lived until his passing.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Judy; their daughter, Lori Lee Beam Johnson of Garner, NC; their son, Duane William Beam of Fernandina Beach, FL; 6 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are being handled locally by Bundy-Law Funeral Home. He will be laid to rest in Northwood Cemetery following a graveside service at 11:00 on September 30, 2023. William's online guest book may be viewed and signed at www.bundy-lawfuneralhome.com .