Brent W. Beals passed away peacefully on December 22, 2025, at the age of 77, at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. Born in Duncan, Oklahoma, to Wayne and Alluwee Beals, Brent was the youngest of their three children and their only son.
Brent’s family relocated to Oklahoma City when he was thirteen. After attending the Oklahoma Military Academy, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at seventeen, serving at Camp Pendleton and later in combat during the Vietnam War.
Following his military service, Brent built his career in construction. He became a general contractor in Lake Arrowhead, California, and in the late 1980s secured a contract with Kiewit Construction to work on the Inter-Island Airport in Honolulu, where he resided for several years. When Hurricane Iniki devastated the Hawaiian Islands in 1992, Brent volunteered with the Red Cross, coordinating the distribution of construction materials and generators for the recovery effort.
In 1994, Brent moved to Mesa, Arizona, where he worked as an ICC Certified Accessibility Consultant and Plans Examiner. He was deeply committed to his community. He served as President of the East Mesa Rotary Club, volunteered with Challenge Air for Kids & Friends providing airplane rides to children with disabilities at Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, and served as Chairman of the City of Mesa Mayor’s Committee on Disability Awareness. He was also a founding member and Vice President of the Fountain East Veterans Association. Brent was active in his faith at Saddleback Church in California and Desert View Baptist Church in Mesa.
In 2018, Brent moved to Emmetsburg, Iowa where he was a member of the Emmetsburg VFW. When his health declined, he became a resident of the Iowa Veterans Home in 2020.
Brent was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Susan Bussert. He is survived by his wife, Jan; his daughters Katie of Lake Arrowhead, California, Annie of Lake Gregory, California, and Jennie of Bend, Oregon; his sister Linda Story of Georgetown, Texas; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, as well as many cousins.
Memorial services will be announced at a later date. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Emmetsburg VFW.
Semper Fi, Always Faithful. Goodnight, Chesty Puller, wherever you are.
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