- Date Of Birth: March 25, 1943
- Date Of Death: June 11, 2014
- State: Iowa
Brian Joseph Becker was born May 25, 1943 in Iowa City, Iowa to parents Joseph “Joe” Becker and Velva M. Stitt Becker. He passed away June 11, 2014 at Skiff Medical Center. Brian grew up across the street from Grinnell College and spent many hours with friend Mike O’Connor exploring
the campus or wandering the golf course at Grinnell County Club. Golf became a lifelong passion.
The Becker family moved to Newton, Iowa in 1958. Brian graduated from Newton High School in 1961, but remained an “honorary” member of Grinnell High School. He attended St. Ambrose College and the University of Iowa, working as a fire fighter in Idaho one summer, before enlisting in the U.S. Army.
Brian trained as a paratrooper and later joined the U.S. Army Sixth Special Forces “Green Berets” at Fort Bragg, N.C. He specialized in radio communication, decrypting Morse Code. He volunteered for a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1965, and was stationed in the foothills in
the Ba To District of Quang Ngai province. The twelve Green Berets were in charge of training the hundreds of mountain villages (Montagnards) helping with the U.S. war effort. When not on patrol, the Special Forces built schools, wells and roads for the village community.
traveling extensively both within Iowa and nationally auditing trucking companies that did business in Iowa. He retired in 2005.
Brian was an avid reader and well-versed in many subjects, with particular expertise on the Vietnam War. He enjoyed golf, gardening, following University of Iowa and Big 10 sports, the Newton speedway, and country music. He was a member of the Newton Country Club and the Elks Club.
He is survived by daughter Brooke Smith, grandsons Tristen and Brayden Smith and granddaughter Addisyn Smith; sisters Susan Becker and
Barbara Becker, (Kate Houston).
