CLARKSDALE, Miss. – It is with great sadness that we announce that our brother William Wayne “Bill” Beacham passed away suddenly on Jan. 25, 2025.
Bill was born on March 5, 1952, in Carthage, Miss., to Alice Lee White Beacham and Thomas Henry Beacham. Thomas was in Korea when he received news of Bill‘s birth. Unfortunately, Thomas did not return from Korea, and they never met.
Alice Lee (and Bill) married Thomas “Stan" Stanford Hayes, Jr. in September 1957 when Bill was 5 years old and moved to Clarksdale where Bill was a member of First United Methodist Church and attended the public schools of Clarksdale and Coahoma County.
At different times, Bill lived in Hattiesburg, where he attended the University of Southern Mississippi. Later, he lived in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Foley Beach, South Carolina before returning home to Clarksdale to help with aging parents.
Bill loved motorcycles and owned several throughout the years. He even had an old Wonderbread truck at one time that he called the mobile home! He also had a beloved 1968 turquoise Bonneville.
Bill was a lover of animals, especially dogs. Sam, Christi, Elrod and Cassie were some of his dearest companions. Bill truly had a heart of gold and once you were his friend, you were his friend for life. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
He is proceeded in death by his parents Thomas Henry Beacham, Alice Lee Hayes, stepfather Thomas Stanford Hayes Junior, grandparents Henry Wayne Beacham and Ruby Lulu Dexter Beacham, maternal grandparents, William Hardy White and Fannie Pearl Thomas White.
Bill is survived by his siblings Thomas “Tripp" Stanford Hayes, III (Paige) of Clarksdale, Tracy Hayes Buchanan (Joey) of Oxford, Alicia Brooke Hayes Merkel (Charles) of Oxford. Nieces Olivia Hayes Hughes (Tripp) of Clarksdale, Martha “Kate” Kathryn Hayes and Mary Claire Lee Hayes of Brooklyn, NY, and Lila White Merkel of Oxford. Nephews Hampton Hayes Buchanan and Joseph “Joe” Thomas Buchanan of Oxford. His uncle Harry Felder Beacham (Jane) of McComb and his aunt Ruby Winston “Sissy” Beacham of Gulfport with whom he always had a special bond. He also leaves behind many extended family members and friends.
Bill‘s ashes will be buried at John Felder Memorial Park by Felder Campground in Summit, Mississippi later in the spring.
Meredith Nowell Funeral Home in Clarksdale, MS is handling all the arrangements.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Feb. 1, 2025, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Shack Up Inn at Hopson.
Memorials can be sent to CARES Animal Shelter or the Care Station in Clarksdale, Miss.
