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Beaumont, Olympic
athlete, dies at 76

Memorial slated Monday at
Outrigger Canoe Club

OBITUARIES

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By Christine Donnelly
Star-Bulletin

John Herbert Beaumont Jr., a competitor in the 1956 Olympic Games and an avid athlete throughout his life, died last Tuesday in Honolulu after a long illness. He was 76.

Beaumont competed in rapid-fire pistol shooting at the Melbourne, Australia, games. Although he did not win a medal, he is the only Hawaii resident to have qualified for that event.

A longtime member of the Outrigger Canoe Club, Beaumont enjoyed just about any sport, from ocean paddling to beach volleyball, said Hannah Beaumont, his wife of 52 years.

"We loved the outdoors. He wouldn't play bridge with me in the day. As long as the sun was up, he wanted to be outside playing ball," she recalled.

Beaumont worked as an aircraft electronics supervisor for the Hawaii Air National Guard before retiring in the 1950s. After that, he transformed his hobby of working on small engines in his garage into Big John's Repair, a small business devoted to repairing motorcycles, lawn mowers and the like, his wife said.

Beaumont was born in Minnesota but moved to Hawaii around the age of 10 when his father, an agricultural expert, took a job with the University of Hawaii.

He flourished in his new home, developing a wide circle of friends and, as an adult, a reputation as an excellent host. "He had a terrific sense of humor, was a very sociable guy. He loved having company all the time," Hannah Beaumont said.

Beaumont is also survived by two sons, Michael and James, and three grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held Monday at the Outrigger Canoe Club.