~ 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
==============
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. ===============================================================
..................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. ===============================================================
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.
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.
Both men were nominated for the Carnegie Medal for their heroism.
