Mendham Friends Share Fond Memories Of Fallen Police Officer

MENDHAM, NJ — There are over 1,700 miles between Arvada, Colo. and Mendham, but hearts are close as friends who knew him from Mendham - some still in Morris County and others in other parts of the country - remember Gordon Beesley.

Online remembrances and fundraisers are happening now for Beesley, a beloved former Mendham resident, who served with the Arvada Police Department the past 19 years.

Beesley, who would have turned 52 in October died at a nearby hospital after responding to a suspicious incident in Olde Town Arvada on June 21 where he was shot. The man who shot him and a resident were also killed.

A vigil was held in the grieving community of Arvada where Beesley served, with his loved ones holding a private remembrance there.

The Mendham Township Police Department honored Beesley with a tribute on its Facebook Page.

One friend from his Mendham years, Kel Pilshaw, also wrote a special tribute of a different kind.

Beesley wasn’t just a police officer, but a drummer too, who played in several bands over his lifetime, including The Railbenders and Brethren Fast. Friends from The Railbenders, a band he helped to found, called him a “gentle giant,” the “nicest guy you could ever know,” a “tremendous talent and performer” and “a great friend.”

Kel Pilshaw remembered him much earlier in life, writing how when they were about five years old, he and Beesley heard what he called “the most heavenly sound” - a banging noise - as they were playing in Pilshaw’s Mendham yard.

“That day we learned not to cross the street, not to go into other people’s houses and we also learned that we live in a world that has drums and rock music,” Pilshaw wrote about that special day.

Adam Golub, a former Mendham resident, who is a writer and professor at California State University, Fullerton - like Pilshaw - also had fond first musical memories to share about Beesley on Twitter, with Beesley going with Golub to Golub’s first concert, The Fixx.

Devastating. I was friends with Gordon in high school. Went to my first concert with him (The Fixx) and we also played some music together. He was an incredible drummer and the sweetest guy, beloved by everyone at Mendham High. So sad. My condolences to his family and community. https://t.co/61L3YelTzy
— Adam B. Golub (@adamgolub) June 22, 2021

He was an incredible drummer and the sweetest guy, beloved by everyone at Mendham High,” Golub said. “So sad. My condolences to his family and community.”

A friend from Colorado, Greg Manier, shared details about a special fundraising tribute shirt for Beesley in the Facebook group “You know you’re from Mendham if…,” asking locals to “please grab one and wear it proudly.”

The funds raised through this Arvada Police Department-approved organization will benefit the Colorado Fallen Heroes Foundation, with monies directly benefitting Beesley’s family, including his wife and two sons.

The shirt has significant tributes within for Beesley, with an Oak Tree, a tree planted to commemorate his “Officer of the Year” honor. The tree's roots stretch to the officers' thin blue line, with his badge number 0219, also at the base of the tree. A bike is near the tree with biking one of his other interests. The quote, “Look for the good in every day,” reportedly Beesley's favorite upbeat saying, is also emblazoned on the shirt.

More about the tree planting and the significance and his love of bike riding is in the video below, where Beesley was honored for being a bike escort to a local special needs student, helping him to to gain independence and life skills to make friends.

Click here for more information about the shirt and Colorado Fallen Heroes Foundation fundraiser for Beesley.

Read more here at the Denver Post.

Reporting contributed by Amber Fisher.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at jennifer.miller@patch.com.