Terry Beech, known to many as “the knife sharpening guy,” crossed the rainbow bridge last month at the age of 79. As is often the case, many of us expressed disbelief and shock.
When I first watched Terry roll into the Aptos Farmers Market in his primo VW bus, I was bemused to watch as he unloaded a setup I’d never seen before: a solar panel, a generator, knife grinder, and stereo speakers. I was waiting for the giant radar dish and a swimming pool for the kiddies. Moments later I heard Americana music at levels I knew would catch the attention of shoppers and market managers. After introducing myself, Terry told me his last name, I instantly uttered a greeting I’d use every time I’d see him from then on: “The Beech is Back!” (with apologies to Elton John…).
Terry always looked like he was keeping some ribald story to himself whenever we chatted. He’d sport a suppressed smile that hinted he would burst into a full-scale grin, accompanied by a guffaw and a hardy har-har. He didn’t — he was just like that all the time. The mischievous sparkle in his eyes suggested a mirthful teen lurked just beneath the surface. I almost expected him to ask me if I wanted to go put a frog down someone’s shirt.
I remember Terry going into vivid detail about his vintage 1970 Volkswagen van the way a parent bragged about their kid making the honor role. This was no ordinary VW hippie bus. The engine was modified to boost its power, enabling it to reach sixty miles per hour in only fifteen minutes, not the customary half hour other similar vehicles required. If he told me that he parked it in his living room I would have believed him. That’s because Terry loved telling stories and chatting people up, whether they had knives to sharpen or not. He just loved to visit.
As his stereo speakers indicated, Terry was into music the way cooks are into knives. Terry understood this. The banjo was Terry’s chosen instrument, and he could play that thing all day and half the night. His amazing memory made him a human Spotify. If you wanted to discuss music, Terry was your man. People came with their knives and stayed for the Terry Beech experience while he put a precision razor-sharp edge on their cutlery.
Patti Bond, his wife of 41 years was also his best friend, travel partner, and supporter. Patti and Terry met on the east coast, and they decided to walk through life together. Children Justin, Tristan, and Leah soon gathered around the Beech table and provided Terry a stage to practice his storytelling.
Terry was no slouch in the classroom either, obtaining Master’s degrees in physics and math. He soon found a home in Silicon Valley’s high-tech world, working for Lucent Technology as a multimedia instructional designer. When the Great Tech Boom went bust, Terry discovered the secret world of knife sharpening for fun and profit. The decision to begin his next career sharpening knives would lead him on a path he could never have imagined. The intrepid physicist’s laser focus on learning the knife sharpening trade soon provided Terry with a growing clientele. Chefs and foodies regularly brought their cutlery to him. He also founded a knife sharpening school, Sharp Quick, for others wanting to follow in his footsteps. He soon began attracting students from near and far, teaching them the art of sharpening knives, pruning shears, scissors, and tools.
Terry will be sorely missed by his family and his legion of customers and friends. His van will miss him too.
