Deacon Joe Beauchamp: 1953-2020

Dumas—Deacon Joe Beauchamp, a member of the Permanent Diaconate Class of 2011 for the Diocese of Amarillo, passed away May 1. He was 66 years old.
 
A Mass will be celebrated for Deacon Beauchamp at a later date.
 
Joe Lloyd Beauchamp was born on June 23, 1953 in Dumas, the son of Lloyd and Vannie Beauchamp. He graduated from Dumas High School in 1971 and was a fourth generation farmer and rancher.
 
Beauchamp married the former Penny Quarles on May 10, 1986 in Dumas. According to his family, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, collecting books and cooking.
Beauchamp was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate on June 4, 2011 by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek during a Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Amarillo. He was one of 15 new deacons ordained during the Mass.
 
In a May 15, 2011 profile of the Permanent Diaconate Class of 2011 in The West Texas Catholic, Beauchamp was asked how participation in the permanent diaconate process changed his life:
“My appreciation for the fullness of our Catholic Faith has greatly increased by a broader understanding of the dynamics of Catholic Social Teaching,” he said. “When I first read Pope Leo XVIII’s Rerum Novarum, I was astonished by his wisdom of 110 years ago—we should have done a better job of listening. Our Church is a treasure chest of men and women who have witnessed by deed and word the virtue of the Gospel.
 
Beauchamp was asked what advice he would give to someone thinking of becoming a deacon:
“Pray—you’re going to need it,” he said. “Get ready to read, read, read. If a man is discerning this call, spend some quiet moments with the Lord. Check your priorities. Then call the Office of Diaconate. They will help guide you. You will be surprised by the many people who are willing to help you.”
 
Survivors include his wife, Penny Beauchamp; a daughter, Susan Beauchamp of Dumas; two grandchildren, Jolee and Rylee; and two sisters, Janet Drake and her husband John of Canyon and Kathy McDowell and her husband Dan of Sunray.