Sam Strong Beckham, III,  age 75, of Keller, Indiana, died at 1:20 pm on April 23, 2023  He had pancreatic cancer.
Sam was born on September 27, 1947 in Edison, Georgia, to Sam II and Mary Frances (Turner) Beckham.  He attended Edison High School, in Edison, Georgia, and Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta , Georgia.
Sam was a Chemical Engineer and worked for the same company for 40 years, retiring in 2012.  During those 40 years, he and his family lived in St. Simons Island, Georgia, Franklin, Virginia, Dublin, Virginia, and Terre Haute, Indiana.  In Indiana, the company he worked for changed ownership from Hercules to Allied Extrusion Technology (AET).  The company now is under new ownership again and is known as Taglief.
Sam married Laura Dishongh on December 15, 1968.  They were married for 54 years.  The couple had two children:  a daughter Candice Beckham-Chasnoff  and a son Matthew Beckham.
Sam is survived by his wife, Laura Dishongh Beckham; his daughter, Candice Beckham-Chasnoff  ( Sarra) , his son, Matthew Beckham;, and  his granddaughter, Noa Beckham-Chasnoff.  He is also survived by one sister, Cindy Warner (Byron) and one brother, Michael Beckham (Theresa)l, and several nieces and nephews.
Sam was preceded in death by his parents, Sam II and Mary Frances Beckham, and his grandparents, Troy and Anne Turner and Sam and Ruby Beckham.
Sam and Laura were adopted by a nearby community, Clay City, Indiana.  Through the love and support of this community, Sam and Laura received many experiences and blessings they might have missed in life.  Their gratitude is unending.
Sam will be cremated.  There will be no immediate service.  There will be a celebration of life at a later date.