Download The Keith Beedie Story - Beedie Group

122
THE KEITH
BEEDIE STORY
Th e Reliable Finishers’ bill for
work done aft er the Halley
Street fi re, 1963.
PART 2: BUILT TO LAST
CHAPTER 11: LOOKING UP
Street. It was only luck that had prevented a tragedy. A passing off -
duty fi reman, on his way home in the middle of the night, had noticed
the fl ames and had helped everyone out. Keith was overcome with
relief that Lee and the children were unharmed. Remembering the fi re
in the living room of the same house, Keith couldn’t help but think
the place was jinxed. He didn’t want his family living there anymore.
It wasn’t a total disaster, though, because they had good insurance.
Lee moved into an apartment with the children, while Keith fi xed the
house up and sold it to a Dr. Roy, who still lives there today.
Betty’s reluctance to move in with him was disappointing, but it didn’t
dampen Keith’s aff ection for her. He found himself looking for a way
to express to her how strong his feelings for her were growing. Her
birthday was approaching on May 11, so he hatched a plan to surprise
her. He decided to bake a cake, but he didn’t have the necessary
equipment. “I found what I wanted in a store I had built on Edmonds
Street where I could buy all the stuff you needed for cheap,” says Keith.
“I went down there just before Betty’s birthday, bought a cake pan and
some mix and set to work.” Even with the advantage of a cake mix, he
quickly realized that he was way out of his depth. “I had to knock on a
few neighbours’ doors for help, but it eventually worked out.”
Relieved that his fi rst foray into baking had worked out, Keith put the
rest of his plan into action. He casually invited Betty out for drink to
celebrate aft er work at the Belmont. When they were fi nishing up and
preparing to leave, Betty commented that she had to make a quick trip
to the powder room. Keith saw a way to execute his surprise. “I told her
to wait until we got back to my place, since it was only a couple blocks
away.” When they got upstairs and she hurried to the bathroom, Keith
quickly pulled out the cake, replete with candles, and turned out the
lights. Betty emerged to see Keith proudly smiling at her surprise. “She
couldn’t believe it.” She knew that only true love could have motivated
Keith to spend an entire aft ernoon baking.
BIRTHDAY SURPRISES
Since that fi rst cake Keith baked to surprise Bett y on the fi rst birthday of hers that they celebrated
together, the Beedies have played a friendly litt le game of birthday one-upmanship over the years. One year,
Keith paid for the whole family, including Bett y’s sisters and brothers-in-law, to go on a surprise trip to Las
Vegas. To keep the secret, the relatives fl ew down to Las Vegas
on an earlier plane, while Bett y, Keith and two other couples fl ew
out half an hour later. When their plane touched down at midnight,
Bett y mentioned she was tired and was looking forward to gett ing
into bed. Keith was worried, as everyone was waiting in the suite to
surprise her. Much to Bett y’s chagrin, Keith suggested a quick drink
in the suite with the other couples. “Bett y was unhappy,” says Keith.
“She just wanted to sleep.” Instead, when they walked through the
suite door, a big “Happy Birthday” erupted from inside. “Bett y took
off about a foot in the air,” remembers Keith.
As a surprise for Bett y’s 65th birthday in 1999, Keith organized the same group of family to join them on a
repositioning cruise from L.A. to Vancouver. Again, he fl ew the family down and told them to meet in the ship’s
party room at 4:00 p.m. He cautioned everyone not to let Bett y see them before that. A series of mix-ups
during boarding and a couple of near misses running into the other guests threatened to spoil the surprise.
Once on the ship, instead of heading to the party room, Bett y said she wanted to go to the stateroom to
clean up after the long drive. Luckily Keith had arranged for a note from the Captain inviting them to the party
room. Bett y, never one to miss a function, spruced up and went with Keith to the party room, just in time for
the gang to jump out and shout “Happy Birthday.” The next three days were spent celebrating and connecting
with friends and relatives. “A lot of the nieces and nephews, some of whom live in Kelowna, have never had much
time together,” says Keith. “Those three days gave them a good chance to know each other. Ryan told me
later that it was a great experience for the cousins, too.”
Another time, for Keith’s 60th birthday, Bett y hired a boat for a cruise up Indian Arm and around West
Vancouver. Keith thought he was going for dinner at the Bayshore Hotel with friends, but instead, he was
led through the hotel and out the rear fi re escape doors. Outside was the boat, once again adorned with a
surprise “Happy Birthday Keith” sign. The boat was fi lled with partygoers, including John Williams, a friend
who had fl own all the way from Australia to celebrate.
Bett y has also organized some huge bashes for Keith. One was his 65th birthday party at the Grouse
Nest. Keith had been told it was a party for his daughter-in-law, Cindy. However, on the way up the mountain
in the gondola, the mists cleared to reveal a huge “Happy Birthday Keith” banner on the restaurant. “I was
completely fooled,” says Keith.
For Keith’s 80th birthday, Ryan and Cindy hosted the party at their
West Vancouver home. As a surprise, they hired Dal Richards and
his orchestra to play. There were hula dancers and a surprise visit by
Amanda Tapping, star of Stargate SG-1, and her family. Amanda, who
had said she could only stay for half an hour as she had another function
the same evening, ended up having such a good time that she stayed
right until the end. “It was a fantastic evening,” says Keith.
“I started as Keith’s tailor and quickly became his friend. Keith has
been successful in every aspect of his life. He has achieved more
than any other person I’ve known. He is a pillar of strength to
his family and his staff . He gets their love and honour in return. Keith has taught me some of the true
values in life and he’s given me great advice over the years. Our friendship has lasted decades and
I know I could never have found a better friend than Keith.”
—JOHN WILLIAMS, FRIEND FROM TOP: Celebrating Betty’s
52nd birthday, 1986. Betty
and Keith’s 25th wedding
anniversary in 1991.
123