HOUSTON – Funeral arrangements have been announced for Nelson Beckett, a 90-year-old Houston Navy veteran who was killed during a carjacking Saturday in southwest Houston.
The service will be held on Sept. 9 at SW Central Church of Christ, located at 4011 W Bellfort Ave., at 10 a.m.
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Beckett will be laid to rest at Memorial Oaks Cemetery at 2 p.m. A reception and family visitation will follow.
Beckett served in the U.S. Navy. His friends and family described him as a “very caring man,” with his daughter saying he was the kindest and funniest man you’d ever meet.
Beckett’s friend of 47 years, Steve Sandifer described Beckett as a champion of faith and lived a great life.
Sandifer said the Navy veteran was a natural caretaker, driving neighbors to doctor appointments, picking people up from halfway houses to take them to church. He also loved his wife of 55 years who passed away in 2010.
Beckett’s son, Tim Beckett said his father was raised and married his wife in Oklahoma City, then moved to Houston in the early 1960′s with their two children. Beckett has five grandchildren, six great grandchildren with one on the way.
Beckett’s daughter, Tami, sent this statement to KPRC 2 about her father:
“He was the kindest, funniest man you’d ever meet. He loved meeting people and greeted them all with jokes and his famous business card, which said “my card.” He loved to make someone laugh and brighten their day. To him, everyone had value. He spent his days driving people places who did not have a car. Driving them to doctors’ appointments, FEMA, rehab, stores, etc., wherever they needed to go. He even would drive some friends from a halfway house to panhandle and take them to church on Sundays. He even baptized several of them. He would do anything for anyone. He told me (his daughter) all the time how lucky we are to have such a big, wonderful, loving, Christian family. He loved big and loved his family so much!”
What happened
A $7 million bond was set Thursday for the man accused of killing Beckett.
The suspect, Kyliel Denzel Arceneaux, 21, was charged with capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence. He was arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Harris County jail.
The shooting happened on Saturday at the Lonestar Senior Living Apartments along Westbrae Pkwy. near Rainer Dr. when the carjacker shot and killed Beckett.
The deadly carjacking was right outside Beckett’s apartment building. His car was found 10 minutes away at a different apartment complex in the 12500 block of Dunlap Street.
Arceneaux was later identified as the suspect in this incident.
Disturbing details
Prosecutors revealed further disturbing details about the deadly carjacking, stating that Arceneaux pistol whipped Nelson Beckett during the crime and then ran over his body with the victim’s vehicle.