Orville Earle Bean, 92, of Wayland, MA, devoted husband and father, died August 28, 2019 in his home due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease and other health issues. Born November 28, 1926 in Albany, NY, Mr. Bean was the son of a WWI aviator and a great nephew of L.L. Bean, the Maine based outfitter of sporting goods. In addition to his wife of (68) years, Constance A. Bean, he leaves a son and daughter; Mr. David R. Bean of Boston, and Dr. Carolyn Bean Wagoner, DDS, of Earlysville, VA; a son-in-law, William O. Wagoner; sister-in-law, Ms. Natalie Austin of Providence, RI; sister-in-law, Mrs. Sarah Almquist, Red Bank, NJ; and a nephew, Dr. David R. Johnston, DDS of Baton Rouge, LA.
A graduate of MIT and earning a Masters degree from Northeastern University, Mr. Bean excelled in the field of electrical engineering. He worked as an Engineer for such companies as Raytheon, Mitre Corp, Transonics, and Data Instruments. Many of his projects were in support of the defense industry building micro switches and other highly technical devices.
Aside from his work, Mr. Bean was an avid boater and short-wave radio enthusiast. Throughout his life, he owned several ocean-going vessels and built a radio tower behind his home to transmit and receive radio signals from around the world. At the young age of 13, he was the youngest radio operator to be licensed at that time.
In addition to being a devoted father and husband, Mr. Bean was also involved in civic duties. He was active in the Wayland Township governance and accepted the request to design and implement traffic signals at the Oak St. and Rt. 30 intersection. His philanthropic efforts greatly facilitated traffic flow and improved safety for the township.