John Laurence BeVier

John BeVier “transitioned” on Saturday, 31 October 2020 on a Blue Moon Halloween night. John honest-to-God died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes after spending a day with his children & their spouses & his Significant Other of 20 years, Colleen Calimer. Colleen’s daughter Emily & her boyfriend Corey said their good-byes the night before. Corey, who was a medic in the military, often came by to help John with various physical challenges & to keep him entertained. Colleen & John’s family are forever grateful for that support. John had a background in Methodist Christianity & as a Believer knew he would be greeted by his Holy Father as well as his earthly father, mother, & sister. John’s favorite word was Réalité; which is the French spelling. It was the name he chose for his sailboat that he used to sail on the Chesapeake. It was the name he chose because he believed in & sought “truth” & to him Reality & Truth were synonymous. John’s favorite names were Jack & Jill. John & Sue co-parented Jack & Jill & created a loving stable upbringing. He raised his children on an 8-acre property on top of “The Hill” in Davidsonville, where Jill & Devin are raising their children now. He loved sharing the “magic” of the deer, turkeys, & the geese flying overhead with his children & was happy that his grandchildren would grow up experiencing that same magic. Jack is competitive sailor, adventurer, & highly successful in real estate at The Dominion Group in Baltimore. Jill identifies as a mother first, but is also the Creative Director for Chesapeake Bay Magazine. They also happen to be loving, smart, kind, & generous, just like their father (& mother). More importantly they are happy, well-adjusted & a joy to be around. John loved his two grandchildren from Jill & Devin Allen: Sadie & Wyatt & several pseudo grandchildren via Colleen’s daughter Emily Palmer & her ex-husband Chad Hebert: 2 girls - Morgan & Peyton, & fraternal twin boys Luke & Colton. He enjoyed observing them & examining their behaviors & blooming personalities. John graduated from Ohio State University in 1962 with a major in mathematics, & a minor in physics. John’s inquisitive mind loved to learn & has over a thousand books in his library. John worked at the National Security Agency for forty years. John loved working at the agency & helped to end the Cold War. Saying that might be a stretch but know that he was involved in many processes & programs, both technical & managerial. His contributions were unique, extremely effective & often saved a lot of money. Additionally he taught or influenced hundreds of analysts, technical professionals & managers, many at the top echelons. There are various examples of how John made the Agency a better place & thus our country more safe. The following unclassified justification for an award best describes the unique way in which John contributed to NSA’s mission.“Mr. BeVier has performed in an exceptional manner. The efforts he has put forth are absolutely outstanding. To describe his stellar contributions in a summary fashion is best done by calling attention to his drive & his questioning, exploring mind which exhibit themselves in a searching approach to the problem areas in which he is active. His efforts have contributed to conclusive analytical results & are fast becoming the cornerstone of future extensive efforts. Mr. BeVier has shown superb insight, creativity, & masterful technical knowledge by taking vague, embryonic concepts & molding them into useful, productive techniques, culminating in practical improvements to the entire effort. Mr. BeVier has generously invested much time & effort in the training & development of college interns who have been able to profit greatly from his expert technical knowledge with respect to both the complex analytic problem & computer programming techniques. This is a considerable gain to the Agency since these interns are already producing beyond the normal trainee expectations. Mr. BeVier’s altruistic efforts which embody the characteristics of an outstanding individual are insight, technical expertise, searching inquisitiveness, & unique approach to the entire problem area. These characteristics bear fruit in excellent results & major benefits to this high priority problem. Besides the above, John BeVier offered wisdom, guidance, & inspiration to countless senior executives, managers & employees. He has touched many lives, careers & missions. John BeVier is a legend & a SIGINT hero.”John was our hero too. He was a very hands-on father & encouraged his children to question, achieve their best & to stay prepared for whatever life brought to them. His children also found a hero in Colleen. Her presence in John’s life enriched his later years & they could not be more grateful for her unwavering commitment to him in his final years. John was Colleen’s hero as well. They co-authored technical papers, attended a wide range of briefings at the Smithsonian & INCOSE (International Council of Systems Engineers) classes & monthly meetings, & enjoyed the theater & Baltimore Symphony Orchestra offerings. They had hundreds of creative conversations while solving most of the world’s problems. John & Colleen particularly enjoyed exploring Baltimore City restaurants, always searching for the perfect Bombay martini. John never failed to express his thanks for Colleen’s ministering, cooking & love for her. Colleen often told John that he was her Sean Connery & Sean died on the same day. The technical papers presented to INCOSE include: “World Class Intelligence Analysis”; “Embedded Systems Engineering: Managing Systems Complexity, Change, & Crises”; "A Meeting of the Minds: A Successful Systems Engineering Experiment using Concept Maps for Effective Communications.” We will share more of John's life at a Celebration of Life event to be held post-COVID. Contact cpalmer67@comcast.net to be notified of the event.