**The recording of Eugene's service may be viewed at the end of the picture slideshow following Eugene's obituary on this page.  The recording is found approximately 9 minutes into the video.**

Eugene Douglas Beckwith, age 61, of Aurora, SD, passed away in Sioux Falls on Friday, December 10, 2021.  Visitations will be from 5-7 P.M. on Tuesday, December 14th at Eidsness Funeral Home.  Funeral Services will be 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, December 15th at Bethel Baptist Church in Brookings.

Eugene Douglas Beckwith was born on February 28, 1960 to Donald and Mara (Velitis) Beckwith in Atkinson, Nebraska and passed away after a brief illness on December 10, 2021.

The family lived in various towns, mostly in Nebraska, during the first years of Eugene's life and in 1970 they settled in Wagner, SD. Eugene attended school in Wagner until his junior year of high school, when he transferred to James Valley Christian High School in Huron, SD and graduated in 1978.  He then attended Saint Paul Bible College in St. Paul, MN for two years.  Taking a break from school, Eugene enlisted in the Army in 1981 where he worked as imagery analyst where he interpreted aerial photography.  He was stationed in Germany and loved living there and touring the surrounding countries, and especially enjoyed exploring and photographing the castles.  After serving his time in the Army, he returned home and attended South Dakota State University completing his degree in Geography in 1987.

On August 16, 1986, Eugene and Carla (Johnston) were married in Cherokee, Iowa.  They lived in Brookings while Eugene finished college and then moved to Maryland.  While there Eugene worked as a geographer on a FEMA contract for determining floodplain land.  Following this they returned to the Brookings area in 1992, residing in Aurora, and Eugene worked for SDSU interpreting and classifying wetlands.  Later in his career he enjoyed working at a couple local hardware stores and then at the Lowes store in Brookings for many years.  He liked helping people, problem solving, and especially finding bargains that were too good to pass up.  He was a member of the Aurora Zoning Board since 1993 where he kept up on the town plans and news.

Eugene was always up for fun and adventure.  He enjoyed weekend trips with Carla to visit new restaurants, museums, parks, and historic sights.  Being a map lover, there would always be a road atlas or paper map of some type in the car even on short trips.  He enjoyed the scenic routes.

As an avid reader, he was never too far from a book or two in progress.  His standing gift suggestion was a Barnes and Noble gift certificate.  He was knowledgeable and curious about many topics and loved to learn and talk about everything, especially history.  Being half Latvian, he was always interested and proud of that part of his heritage.

Being born and living his first years in Nebraska, Eugene said he was obligated to be a Nebraska Cornhusker football fan and he stayed true to that during the good and bad seasons.

Eugene loved nature and animals.  He spent time feeding and watching animals in the yard and spoiling his pets.  There was usually a container of bird food or corn in his truck, just in case.  Fishing was also a hobby that was fun for him, especially in his younger years.

Eugene was always excited about gathering together with family to listen and tell stories, laugh, eat, and play games.  The Beckwith family had a tradition of gathering in Wagner on Labor Day weekend for many years, and he always looked forward to that.  A trip to the Outer Banks a couple years ago with extended family was a highlight for him.

Eugene was a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Brookings.  He had a nice voice and loved singing during worship services and listening to his favorite Christian artists.  Eugene knew Jesus as his Savior.

Eugene was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents Ralph and Myrtle Beckwith and maternal grandparents Janis and Olga Velitis; father, Donald Beckwith; and brother-in-law, Neal Johnston.

Those who are remembering him lovingly include his wife, Carla Beckwith; mother, Mara Beckwith; siblings Jan (John) Bentzen, Paul (LuAnne) Beckwith, Susan (Sean) Baker, and Ann Naber; father and mother-in-law Bob and Eleanor Johnston and sister-in-law Jill Holmes.  Also, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives will remember him with love.