“The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leavened with. Those souls that are the symbols of detachment are the leaven of the world. Meditate on this, and be of the thankful.” (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 161)
At 1 pm on 22 August the funeral service began in All Souls Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Elmwood Avenue. The church was filled to capacity, with some people standing at the back. Between 500 and 600 people were present. The congregation included some sixty Bahá'ís from the Republic of Ireland, who had travelled from as far afield as Letterkenny, Sligo, Limerick, Tralee, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Drogheda and Dublin. It included many members of the NI Inter-Faith Forum as well as staff from Beman's previous surgery. It also included three politicians as well as some members of Saint Dorothea's church, where Castlereagh Assembly had asked Beman to organise devotional gatherings. Many, many Bahá'ís from all over Northern Ireland attended, together with family and friends.
Reflecting Marion’s wishes, most of the flowers were cut from the gardens of friends, giving the church a fresh, natural feeling and the symbol of the Greatest Name was placed on the centre of the communion table.
Marion's brother opened the service by welcoming everybody. Beman's remains were brought slowly up the aisle and a most beautiful service began. It consisted of a selection of very appropriate readings, interspersed with some of Beman's favourite musical pieces. There were three outstanding contributions, reflecting on Beman's life. Dr Rustam Jamshidi began by describing Beman's early years in Yazd and Karachi, his studies in Belfast and shared insights into Beman's sense of humour as a young medical student. Rustam was followed by Mr Brendan McNamara who described the impact that Beman had on the young Baha’i community in the Republic of Ireland during the early 1970s when he was an Auxiliary Board member.
Brendan described how Beman won the respect of many of the parents of young Bahá'ís in Limerick and how he was able to connect with many different people, especially the young. Brendan shared some of the stories of those years in a way that had everybody recalling Beman's charisma and humour. Indeed the congregation laughed joyously at various points in a very natural way. Brendan ended by describing how, in recent years, Beman had become active in the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum and he read excerpts from a tribute that had come from the Forum.
The third reflection was delivered by Kiyan. It had been prepared jointly by the three daughters, Nasrin, Gohar, and herself.. It was the most outstanding contribution to the service, sharing some of the personal thoughts of his daughters, giving us a glimpse of the great love that the girls shared with their father and recounting some wonderful stories. All three reflections were filled with humour and they had everybody laughing in the pews as they recalled some very amusing moments.
At the end of the service Beman's remains were carried out of the church by his daughter, his sons-in-law, and his nephews. Many of the congregation proceeded to Roselawn cemetery to gather at the graveside.
A single prayer was read and there was a moving flute solo as the coffin was lowered. The entire proceedings were characterised by a sense of serenity, simplicity and calm. Indeed is seemed no one wished to leave the graveside as everyone chatted about Beman and his wonderful qualities.
Eventually many friends joined the family at Shandon Golf Club for a reception. There was a wonderful spirit of sharing as everyone caught up with old friends and recounted their memories of an outstanding believer, teacher, doctor, father, and friend. At about 6 pm the numbers began to dwindle as people gradually left.
All present had been inspired and uplifted by the memory of someone who, for nearly fifty years had served the Bahá'í community in Ireland with great love, tact, determination, commitment and energy. Few, if any, will ever forget such a funeral, full of sincere joy and happiness and of love and respect for his wife Marion and their three daughters whose dignity and comportment throughout reinforced that atmosphere.
EG
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