Obituary of James Edward Beckwith

James Edward Beckwith, affectionately called "Bro, Babro, Babrah," was born on September 12, 1952, in Baltimore, Maryland, to James Wallace "Jim" Beckwith of Holly Springs, North Carolina and Sylvia Melvere Cureton of Baltimore. James was the baby brother of Melvere and Jockolette, whom they adored. Together they enjoyed mischievous play, their dog, riding their horse, and the company of many neighborhood friends. James enjoyed his upbringing in Baltimore City and in Holly Springs where he and his siblings spent many summers in their youth. James' father Jim was a cowboy at heart who owned horses and taught his children to ride. Bro thought he was a cowboy too and would parade around on a horse in the city and in the country, cowboy boots and all. James was raised in a Christian household and attended Baptist church in his youth as his grandpa Edward, his namesake, was a Baptist pastor. He would later attend Bethel AME Church and others into his adulthood. James attended Baltimore City public schools and graduated from Edmondson High School in 1970. James was gifted in the performing arts, in particular music, and he learned to play the guitar. He would play his guitar in a band and gigs throughout Maryland and would also be invited to play at church. James was also gifted mechanically, inheriting that trait from his father who was an auto mechanic. James would often work and play in his father's auto mechanic shop in his youth and learned the trade along the way. After high school, James followed in his dad's footsteps and joined the United States Army on June 18, 1971. He was honorably discharged after two years of serving in the Vietnam War. Thereafter, James joined the Army National Reserves where he served his country for another 7 years, and was honorably discharged on June 7, 1978. James received several honors during his military service to include the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Expert Badge M-16, and Certificates of Appreciation from Richard Nixon, President and Commander in Chief, for honorable service to our country from 1971-1974. James also served in the Army National Guard of Maryland and was honorably discharged on March 9, 1984. He later attended Catonsville Community College in Baltimore majoring in Automotive Technology and graduated from GMAC Training Institute as an Automotive Technician. As a young adult, James enjoyed fast cars, fashion, auto mechanics, music and playing guitar in a band. The ladies loved James – he was the original LL Cool J! James was fun to be around, had an uncanny sense of humor, and was a big tease! He said to his longtime friend Lorraine when he saw her driving so slowly in her Lincoln Town car that it looked like it was going to take her "all weekend" to turn the corner! Bro was "The Bachelor!" His name "James" was fitting, because he was also the "James Bond" of his time. James, like the rest of the Beckwith clan, could "dress" from "head to toe!" He was known to tool around town and up and down the east coast in his many beloved Corvettes – orange, black, white – he had a need for speed! As James' close friend Rodney proclaimed, "Babrah would drive so fast in that orange 1973 Corvette, [aka "The Time Machine,"] that he would transport you back in time!" He would drive up 95 from B'More to NYC covering 210 miles in just over 2 hours! Bro was also fond of motorcycles, in particular his various Harley Davidson motorcycles. James would later build and sell his own motorcycles as a hobby. James slowed down for a minute to marry, but the union did not last, and he went back to his bachelor lifestyle. Bro also road his motorcycle in the annual Washington, DC "Ride for Freedom," sponsored by Rolling Thunder, Inc. Rolling Thunder is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to educate the public about the many American Prisoners of War (POW) that were left behind after all previous wars and to help correct the past and to protect future Veterans from being left behind should they become POWs or Missing in Action (MIAs). Once James completed his military service, he catapulted his love for cars, driving, and travel into a career with the U.S. Department of Defense, Army Corp of Engineers, where he served as the Primary Motor Vehicle Operator for the Chief of Engineers and Commander, and Executive Assistant for several generals, traveling the country throughout his 34 years of federal service. James received many honors during his federal career to include: the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service in March 1995, Employee of the Year nomination in 2006, and the Superior Civilian Service Award in 2007. James was a very caring and compassionate man, and truly loved his family. He enjoyed family gatherings where there was plenty of food, fun, music and laughter – a crab feast and watching Ravens football. He would often scoop up his nieces Kim, who he affectionately called "Chantel," and Karen in their youth and take them for rides in his Vette or on the Harley and visit with them often into their adulthood. James moved his mom, Sylvia into his home and took care of her for many years after she had knee replacement surgery and could no longer navigate the stairs in their childhood home. Now that relationship was the cause of some hilarious moments including the time when Sylvia called the police because Bro was "disturbing her peace" by repeatedly turning on the washing machine when she was trying to sleep. Of course, Bro's response was, "How is she going to tell me what to do in my house!" He never turned that washing machine on again after hours. We laughed about that for years. After visiting with Kim "Chantel" and family in Maryland and a Christmas visit with Karen and family in Florida, Bro returned home to meet his eternal rest, passing peacefully in his sleep. His last words on both occasions were, "I love you." James was preceded in death by his father, James W. Beckwith; mother, Sylvia M. Beckwith; sisters, Melvere R. Beckwith and Jockolette R. Cornish; and his brother-in-law, Herbert Cornish. James is survived by his nieces, Kim "Chantel" (Jenkins) Adams; Karen Stallworth (Frank); great nieces, Briahanna and McKenzie Stallworth, and a host of relatives and close friends, to include the Beckwiths, Curetons, Kings, DeLeavers, Harrisons, and Crawfords. Calling hours will be Sunday, January 23, 2022, from 2:00PM-6:00PM at Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services, 8728 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD. On Monday, January 24, 2022, Services for Mr. Beckwith will be held at Vaughn Greene Randallstown Chapel, 8728 Libert Rd, Randallstown, MD at 10:00AM. The interment will take place at Crownsville Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville on Monday, January 24 immediately following services.