Attorney Ben Beazley had always been an independent thinker.
As a result, he always felt that law didn’t require an office, which is why he developed his own private practice and never wanted to work for a law firm, said his wife of 30 years, Melanie Morton Beazley.
“When I’d tell him he needed an office, he’d tell me that law happened in a courtroom, not in an office,” she said with a laugh.
According to his wife, Beazley had wanted to be an attorney from the time he was a child. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, Beazley completed his education at Emory University, where he earned his Doctor of Law degree in 1976 and became a member of the State Bar of Georgia.
His No. 1 priority was ensuring the fair treatment of his clients with honest and dedicated representation, Melanie Beazley said.
“He helped a lot of people,” she said. “And he always worked for justice for his clients. Always.”
Benjamin Wilson Beazley of Smyrna died Feb. 27 from complications of liver failure at Emory University Hospital. He was 62.
A visitation is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday and his memorial service will immediately follow at 2 p.m. at Carmichael Funeral Home in Smyrna, which was in charge of cremation arrangements.
Practicing law wasn’t Beazley’s only passion. He was also a talented musician who had played different instruments since high school with little to no musical training.
He found his groove in the bass guitar, said longtime friend and former band member Bill Patton.
“He was an excellent bass player,” Patton said. “And he could look into the audience and know what to pick and play at the right time.”
When Beazley was still in high school, he joined his first band, Topp Brass, and played at Six Flags Over Georgia for several years before joining a band known as Acapella Gold in 1975. The group later morphed into the Sweet Tooth Band, then eventually became the Bill Patton Band. But as the names changed, Beazley remained, performing until the early 2000s.
With these bands, Beazley was given the opportunity to play at the Atlanta Athletic Club, the Taste of Atlanta and even Jimmy Carter’s presidential inauguration in Washington in 1977, Patton said.
Beazley was happiest when he was on stage, said those who knew him. His musical talent was one that came naturally, and one that he was proud to have.
“He always came back to the music,” Patton said. “It’s what he prided himself on.”
In addition to his wife, Beazley is survived by his mother, Mary Wilson Beazley of Atlanta; two sons, Benjamin Wilson Beazley Jr. of Atlanta and Elliott Morton Beazley of Atlanta and Chicago; and one brother, Herschel V. Beazley Jr. of Atlanta.
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