John Parrish Beavers

March 21, 1947 - April 9, 2025

John Parrish Beavers died peacefully in Colorado Springs on April 9, 2025, at age 78, after battling dementia with grace and resilience. John was a true Renaissance man. He enjoyed listening to classical music, reading nightly, collecting Fine Art pottery, building wooden toys, running marathons, and hiking the Cheyenne Mountain trails with his beloved dog, Callie.

John was born in 1947, to Ruth D. Beavers (daughter of Lewis E. Dolan and Dessie Rick Dolch) and Glen P. Beavers (son of Emerson Albert Beavers and Mary Alice Parrish Beavers) in Toledo, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his brother, Michael Beavers.

His family moved to Columbus in 1959, where John graduated from Worthington High School in 1965. John attended The Ohio State University where he graduated in 1969 cum laude (B.A. in Econometrics and Statistical Analysis). During those years, John was a proud member of The OSU Marching Band (TBDBITL) from 1965 to 1969, and served as squad leader of the drum section in 1969, performing in both the Rose Bowl the Presidential Inaugural Parade that year.

While at The Ohio State University, he was a member of the Arts & Sciences Student Counsel; Vice President Pro Temp of Undergraduate Student Government; member and president of Bucket & Dipper; member of Sphinx; member of Phi Beta Kappa; officer of Ohio Staters, Inc.; and recognized prior to graduation in 1969 as Outstanding Senior Man. He was a member of the Ohio State’s President’s Club for almost 50 years.

John went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate from the OSU College of Law cum laude in 1972. For over 40 years, John practiced business law in the areas of capital formation, mergers, and acquisitions with the firm of Bricker & Eckler, LLP (now Bricker Graydon, LLP) in Columbus, Ohio. He served as managing partner for 11 years and focused on corporate governance for the last part of his legal career. John believed in the maxim, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” (which was the motto of the United Negro College Fund). John was recognized as one of the Best Lawyers of America 11 times and as the Best Lawyer in Columbus, Ohio in the areas of Corporate Compliance (2014); Mergers and Acquisitions (2013); and Corporate Law (2010).

John’s mantra was “words are my business” and he authored Ohio Corporations and was Editor and Author of Acredula. He also authored numerous articles on executive compensation, governance, board governance and operations, management, mergers and acquisitions, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the Securities Exchange Commission.

John had a sincere passion for mentoring women and persons of color. He was recognized by the American Bar Association for support of women in the practice of law and by the Martin Luther King Jr Center of Columbus, Ohio as Outstanding Corporate Citizen. He received the Service Award from the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. John served as a trustee of the Harry C Moores Foundation; member of the Business First Advisory Board Exchange; the American, State of Ohio, State of Colorado and Columbus Bar Associations. He was a previous board member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Ohio Business Roundtable, and the Martin Luther King Jr Center of Columbus.

In 2015, John moved permanently to Colorado Springs, Colorado where he volunteered for the Colorado Springs Chapter of SCORE, an SBA supported organization that mentors small business owners. He was also part of the SCORE’s national team for support of women and minorities. John served as a board member of the Rocky Mountain Health Care Services and was a member of the Colorado Springs’ First Congregational Church.

Survived by his loving wife, Susan Brown Beavers, whom he was married to for 52 years; his children Colonel Meredith Beavers Ward (Colonel Ryan Ward) of Colorado Springs, Colorado and Dr. Kristen Parrish Zeligs (Aaron Zeligs) of Brooklyn, New York; and his four grandsons Beckham Zeligs, Rylan Zeligs, Murphy Parrish Ward, and Cullen John Ward. John took great pride in his children’s accomplishments and had much interest in his grandsons’ activities. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law Janice Recher (John) and Marcia Brown of Dayton, Ohio and his cousins Linnea Lose (Sue Cline), Rick and Greg Lose and Geoff Paddock and Steve Paddock (Barbara). The family commends the special care provided by Essy Silva and Julie Hatton and the staff at Abode Hospice of Colorado Springs. Jerry Marshall and Steve Fehl were special friends to John who inspired and entertained him during his difficult journey.

John will be remembered as a resilient individual known for his brilliance, tenacity, self-discipline, and dedication to his family and community.

A private memorial service will be conducted in Colorado and a public Celebration of Life held at Bricker Graydon LLP firm on Monday, April 28, 2025 from 3-5 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Ohio State University Marching Band Fund: https://tbdbitlosu.edu/give

John was a member of the marching band from 1965 through 1969. He plared Snare Drum in L-Row.