Educator.
Born at Teulon on 8 November 1883, eldest child of Cyrenius Beckstead (1859-1953) and Amanda Bouck (1859-1936), he received a BA degree from the University of Manitoba. He had a long career in teaching at schools throughout rural Manitoba, at Windsor School (1908-1909), Teulon School (1912-1913), and serving as Principal of Ninga School (1914-1915), Napinka School (1915-1918), Boissevain School (1918-1922), Birtle School (1922-1928), Crystal City School (1928-1939), Stonewall School (1940-1941), Tyndall School (1944-1953), Elphinstone School (1953-1955), and Melita High School (1955-1956), from which he retired in 1956 and moved to Winnipeg.
On 7 July 1915, he married Carrie McGregor Lewis (?-1977) at Melita. They had four children: J. Lewis Beckstead (1916-2007), Clarence Edwin “Ted” Beckstead (1917-2005), Jessie Winona Beckstead (?-?, wife of Donald Elmore McLennan), and Gwenyth Anne “Gwen” Beckstead (1928-2014, wife of Peter Lister). He participated in curling and lawn bowling until his 95th birthday. He was a member of the Harstone Memorial United Church, Mentors Club, Sargent Park Lawn Bowling League, and AF & AM (Meridian Lodge No. 140).
He died at his Winnipeg home, 70 Poseidon Bay, on 17 November 1985 and was buried in the Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens.
Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 and 1911 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.
Annual Reports of the Manitoba Department of Education, Manitoba Legislative Library.
“Engagement notices,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 August 1943, page 8.
“James O. Beckstead 100th birthday,” Winnipeg Free Press, 19 November 1983, page 32.
“Former Teulon teacher marks 100th birthday,” Stonewall Argus / Teulon Times, 30 November 1983, page 9.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 20 November 1985, page 45.
“Former Teulon teacher dies at 101,” Stonewall Argus / Teulon Times, 27 November 1985, page 21.
Obituary [Clarence Edwin Beckstead], Winnipeg Free Press, 10 May 2005.
Obituary [J. Lewis Beckstead], Winnipeg Free Press, 12 September 2007.
Obituary [Gwenyth Anne Lister], Winnipeg Free Press, 1 May 2014.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 29 November 2022
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