NWA Capt. John Robert Bean

~ IN MEMORY ~

NWA Capt. John Robert Bean

February 14, 1918 ~ July 28, 2015

 

News with the passing of RNPA member retired NWA pilot Captain John Robert Bean has been received.  John was born in Illinois but by 1920 was living with his family in the Winona MN area where he grew up.   John's wife Jeanne DesBrisay Oskamp was born in Winona in 1922, they were married March 24, 1943.  John was a student pilot in November 1940 when he was nominated along with his instructor for the Carnegie Medal for heroism having assisted those stranded during the great Armistice Day blizzard (see details below).  He joined Northwest Airlines 04-08-1942 and retired with Northwest in 1978.  John and Jeanne were the parents of five children.  They had most recently resided in Rochester MN.  John was widowed in November 2011 with the passing of his wife Jeanne (partial obit below).  He is survived by their children and grandchildren. 

Should we receive more news as to arrangements, we will be sure to pass along that information.

            Thank you,

                ~ Carol for the PCN 

 

From: RNPA News    Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 6:30 AM   Subject:  Bob Bean Has Flown West.

With regret I inform you of the passing today, July 28, 2015, of NWA pilot John Robert Bean. Bob Bean, age 97, died of congestive heart failure. He was known to many as an instructor pilot on many NWA aircraft and had a gift for generating excitement about his subject. His career at NWA spanned 36 years.

Further details will be shared when available.  

Bill Day 

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http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=79907072      
..................Jeanne Oskamp Bean died November 2, 2011, at Samaritan Bethany Home, Rochester, MN.
Jeanne D. Oskamp was born in Winona on November 27, 1922, to A.M. “Mike” and Eleanore (Baumann) Oskamp. She attended Madison and Winona High Schools and Stephens College.  On March 24, 1943, she married Northwest Airlines Captain John R. “Bob” Bean of Winona. She mothered their five children and enjoyed camping, gardening, their cottage at Grand Rapids MN, community activities and travelling. They lived many years in Minneapolis and then in Port Townsend, WA, where she authored a local history book “Marrowstone”. Her recent years were spent in Rochester and in spite of a succession of health problems she enjoyed their family and especially the eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.  She is survived by children: Robert (Cynthia) Bean, Michael (Joy) Bean, Susan (Bean) Sauter and Richard Bean; brother, A.M. ”Sandy” Oskamp, Buffalo City, WI, and husband of 68 years, J.R. Bean. Her sister, Marian O. Brehmer/Britt and son, Thomas, preceded her in death. A family funeral service and burial in Woodlawn Cemetery will be held at a later date. ===============================================================

 

http://www.restandbethankful.org/2011/11/10/remembering-armistice-day/ 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day_Blizzard  

http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2011/02/famous-blizzards-in-america.html 

The morning of 11 November 1940 brought with it unseasonably high temperatures. By early afternoon temperatures had warmed in lower to middle 60s degrees Fahrenheit. As the day wore on conditions quickly deteriorated. Temperatures dropped sharply, winds picked up, and rain, followed by sleet, and then snow began to fall. An intense low pressure system had tracked from the southern plains northeastward into western Wisconsin, pulling Gulf of Mexico moisture up from the south and pulling down a cold arctic air mass from the north. The result was a raging blizzard that would last into the next day. Snowfalls of up to 27 inches, winds of 50 to 80 mph, 20-foot snow drifts.
Along the Mississippi River several hundred duck hunters took time off from work and school to take advantage of the ideal hunting conditions. Weather forecasters had not predicted the severity of the oncoming storm, and as a result many of the hunters were not dressed for cold weather. When the storm began many hunters took shelter on small islands in the Mississippi River, and the 50 mph winds and 5-foot waves overcame their encampments. Some became stranded on the islands and then froze to death in the single-digit temperatures that moved in over night. Others tried to make it to shore and drowned. Duck hunters constituted about half of the 49 deaths in Minnesota. Those who survived told of how ducks came south with the storm by the thousands, and everybody could have shot their daily limit had they not been focused on survival. Casualties were lessened by the efforts of Max Conrad, a pioneering light plane pilot and one of his students (John R. Bean) both based in Winona, Minnesota, 25 miles upriver from La Crosse. They flew up and down the river in the wake of the storm, locating survivors and dropping supplies to them. 

http://ngsforums.com/forums/index.php?topic=51.400335;wap2  
Both men were nominated for the Carnegie Medal for their heroism.