On April 13, 2023, Lance Beachem passed away unexpectedly. He was the former pastor at the Beaver Bay Assembly of God, the Confidential Secretary for Silver Bay, and an active member in the community.
Beachem worked for the City of Silver Bay for nine and a half years, taking minutes for the City Council and various City Boards and Commissions and helping to set up and administer elections. “Lance was a quiet, genuine man with a contagious sense of dry humor,” Lana Fralich recalls. “He was known for his funny ‘quote of the day’ created from comments he heard over the course of his working day.”
Marcia Beachem, Lance’s widow, remembers how much he loved the North Shore. “He walked and prayed on every street in Silver Bay, Beaver Bay, and Finland, and drove through all the outlying roads and all along the Shore,” Marcia says. “Praying for people he hadn’t even met, praying that men, women, and children would encounter the life-giving love of Jesus. I think of his prayer walk all the way from Canal Park Bridge in Duluth to the Canadian border. 154 miles. He quietly served and worked and prayed, without fanfare or attention to himself. He always had a heart for anyone who was suffering or unseen by the rest of the world.”
An active community member, Beachem “really reached out across generations, serving young and old alike.” For many years, he ran a free summer carnival for children during Bay Days. He worked with Vacation Bible School, home Bible studies, and prayer meetings. Lance was even known to host a tea party or two for children who attended his wife’s Bible study. Beachem also helped with the upkeep of the Beaver Bay Assembly of God – orchestrating for the parking lot to be paved and landscaping done, and for new roofing and windows to be installed.
Marcia Beachem relates that one of his favorite things to do were the Worship in the Park services at Gooseberry Falls State Park. “He loved meeting and sharing the simple message of God’s great love with folks from all over and from all walks of life.” Over 5,000 people attended these services over the years.
In 2016, Lance and Marcia Beachem adopted three sons, and he deeply loved his family. He was “proud of the young men” his sons are becoming. He loved taking his sons on adventures, hiking along Lake Superior, and “being close to God in nature.”
Thank you for the years you gave to this community, Lance. You are missed by those whose lives you touched both in person and in prayer .
