WAYCROSS — John Beach was born in Walterboro, S.C. in the home of his great uncle, Jim Griffin, more than 98 years ago – Sept. 28, 1908. His mother died 28 days after he was born as the result of complications from childbirth.

John was saved when he was ten years old at a Methodist church in Gough in East Georgia. Two years later his family moved to Savannah and he was baptized at Calvary Temple Baptist Church by pastor John Wilder.

Beach explains, “The real turning point in my life came when I was a student at Draughons Business College. I heard a blind preacher preaching in a revival at Second Baptist Church (now Bull Street) in Savannah and I surrendered my life completely to the Lord.”

But Beach states that his life can be measured in three parts. He recalls, “While studying Latin in high school I was taught, ‘Gaul is divided into three parts.’ My life can be also divided into three parts: my years with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, my years with the Young Men’s Christian Association, and my years as a preacher of the gospel.”

For twenty-two years Beach worked for the railroad as a messenger, secretary to the superintendent, chief clerk, and finally as accountant. When the YMCA associate secretary position was vacated, Beach was offered the job and accepted it, often preaching the message to the men at the noon luncheon during his 32 years with the ministry.

While still employed with the YMCA, Hebardville Baptist Church in Waycross called Beach to be their pastor. He was ordained by Central Baptist in Waycross and served the Hebardville church for 23 years. Upon his retirement he was elected as the pastor emeritus.

For 64 years a vital part of his life was his precious wife, the former Elizabeth “Betty” Hutto. John commented, “We had a great marriage and two wonderful sons. Now there are five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. If I live another five or six months I will have a great-great-grandchild.”

After a blissful marriage John buried his beloved Betty the day before their 64th wedding anniversary.

In September of 1998, at age ninety, Beach was in an automobile accident in South Georgia and broke several bones in his left leg. For recuperative purposes he was taken to Baptist Village in Waycross where the physical therapy unit, renown for its success rate, set him on the road to recovery.

Beach recalls, “After receiving therapy I decided to remain at the Village. About three months after arriving on the campus of the Village, during the month of December, I was sitting in my wheelchair near a large oak tree and a lady came up and offered me a small box filled with delicious pecan halves. I gladly accepted them. On the box in large red letters appeared these words: “GOD LOVES YOU.”

Beach admits that the benevolent lady impressed him. He began to notice how she was so compassionate toward others, assisting different residents in wheelchairs by helping them get to prayer meetings and chapel services. The nonagenarian soon discovered that the “angel of mercy” spreading sunshine around the campus was a widowed daughter of a Baptist preacher. She was the former Julia Mae Barbree from Bainbridge, but her married name was Donaldson. She had two grown children and five grandchildren.

Julia, whose life has been marked by diligence and conscientiousness, worked her way through Georgia Teachers College at Statesboro (now Georgia Southern University). She later earned a Master’s degree from Florida State University. She taught public school students for many years and Sunday School at Southside Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., where she was a member.

When Beach completed his physical therapy and was sufficiently able to ride the bus to Central Baptist Church for the Sunday morning worship service, he discovered that Julia was a regular passenger on that route. One morning 90-year-old John Beach and 87-year-old Julia Donaldson sat together in the worship service at Central Baptist Church.

It was not long thereafter that a courtship ensued, and John asked Julie if she would marry him. Beach explains, “Neither one of us had any intention of marrying again, but Julia consented to my proposal of marriage.”

A romanticist would say that cupid had performed his magical work in the hearts of these not-so-young lovers, but those who know John and Julia would agree that it was a romance made in heaven. Wedding bells rang on June 18, 1999 in Mitchell Chapel at Baptist Village as John and Julia were united in holy matrimony.

John stated, “Since we had both given our cars away and were no longer driving, we just spent our honeymoon at Baptist Village. Seven years later we are still on our honeymoon.”

John declares, “Julia is the love of my life. She has a wonderful sense of humor. Not long after we got married we purchased a little stuffed monkey at one of the local stores. We have him hanging up in our bedroom. From time to time we will talk to each other through ‘Buster,’ our little monkey. You see, we can say things through him that we might not wish to say otherwise. It is a lot of fun at times. In fact, we think every married couple should have one. Telling ‘Buster’ ‘goodnight’ can be a lot of fun.”

 

The secret

“Since we were married on June 18, the eighteenth of each month is an anniversary to us,” John observed. “We have had 92 of them and hope to have many more. Julia has a wonderful disposition. She is not moody and is always attractive. She is the love of my life.”

When asked, what is the secret to a long life? John remarked, “We walk a mile every day, but the real secret is to have someone to love and something to do. I think I am still here because God has something for me to do for Him and for others.”

John explained, “We still have a ministry. We have a prayer service every Monday morning. We have a Bible study every Tuesday taught by chaplain Bob Hutcherson.

“On Wednesday afternoon we go hear Julian Pipkin (pastor and former GBC employee) preach. We have chapel every Thursday at 4:00 in the afternoon. On Friday we visit in the Health Care Center. I have written a little booklet to encourage the patients in the Center and we have given out more than 300 of them.”