Edward Carlyle Beerman died Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, at the age of 81. Ed was born in Nashville Tennessee on Dec. 31, 1936. He graduated from Hillside High School and Vanderbilt University where he served in the Army ROTC. After graduation he began his army career with basic training in Ft. Benning, GA, followed by active duty in Germany. While overseas Ed visited many European countries, learned to speak German and made many friends. He was then assigned to Seton Hall University in New Jersey as an ROTC instructor and met and married Estelle Kay Beerman. They were married for 53 years, lived in five different states and had three sons.

As a young man, Ed played guitar in a country & western band and worked as an usher at the Grand Ole Opry House at Ryman Auditorium. He met many of the headliners, played live with Pat Boone and even recorded in Nashville’s WSM radio studio. He never outgrew his love of country music and could occasionally be convinced to perform for his family.

After the birth of his first son, Ed retired from the Army and worked for a brief stint with the Norfolk and Western Railroad – a job that seemed ideal given his great love of trains. He left N&W and joined J.P. Stevens where he worked for almost 30 years. He was one of the first to become a Certified Claims Professional, achieving the highest recorded score. After his retirement he went back to school and became a tax preparer with H. & R. Block. Ed was a train buff and enjoyed chasing trains. He also enjoyed riding his bicycle and was able to combine his two loves. He took long trips on the weekend – with a seat on the back for one of his boys- looking for trains. In his later years Ed became proficient on the computer and enjoyed working with it. He was always active and enjoyed walking, although one of his favorite activities was sitting in front of the TV on fall afternoons cheering on the Panthers or Clemson Tigers with a glass of beer and a bowl of popcorn. Ed is survived by his wife of 53 years, Estelle Kay Beerman,and three sons: Bill (Tracy), John (Pattie), and Jim (Angela), and seven grandchildren: Matthew and Katie, Elizabeth and Alexandra, and Brycen, Brodie and Eli.