SPOTLIGHT ON...
Ross Beebe
Story written by Pam Anderson
Born in Connecticut and raised in New Jersey with 2 brothers and a sister by a single mother, Ross Beebe and his wife arrived in New Smyrna Beach in 2014 from Mentor, Ohio. The Georgia Tech chemical engineering graduate spent his professional life in Texas and Ohio working in manufacturing and research. He has received 2 U.S. Patents for his research work.
After graduating, Ross thought he wanted to work in the environmental or energy areas. However, during his career he had limited exposure to those areas. After retiring, Ross has spent significant time in the environmental area by volunteering at the Marine Discovery Center. Since then, he has branched out on his own, working on water quality issues regarding the Indian River Lagoon.
The Beebes chose New Smyrna Beach because Ross’ brother, Bill, had lived in Volusia County since 1984. Bill was the chaplain at Halifax Hospital and his sister-in-law was a nurse. Being a chaplain and ordained Methodist pastor, Bill was very familiar with the area churches and predicted Ross, after church shopping, would choose Coronado UMC. Fortunately, he was correct. The first Sunday Ross
visited Coronado was Bob Brown’s last service.
Raised by a religious mother and raising his children in the Methodist Church, Ross and the family then spent several years not attending church. Around the millennium, Ross became active in the local church in Ohio. He took and facilitated Disciple classes, led men’s Bible studies, served as a trustee, attended an Emmaus retreat, and visited the Holy Land.
When he became a member of Coronado, Ross participated in a Bible study via Zoom with Macon Armistead during the Covid 19 pandemic and was impressed with Pastor Lisa Degrenia’s welcoming ministry. He taught the 32-week Disciple 2 class and started the men’s book club. Ross and his brother Bill attended the John Wesley pilgrimage to the UK, led by Pastor Lisa Degrenia.
Presently, Ross is leading two groups, which he is passionate about: The Men’s Book Club meets monthly, the 3rd Thursday from 1:00-2:30 pm at 215 Columbus. A different book is chosen each month by the participants. Stimulating questions and discussion follow during each meeting. The other group is a theological discussion group that meets on Tuesdays in Music Lecture Suite from 4:00-5:00 pm. The group views a different video each week and participants share insights and life experiences related to the video.
Ross and his wife have 2 children and 1 grandchild. His son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live in Lincoln, NE; his daughter lives in Nashville, TN.
