Roy Franklin Beverage

Roy Franklin Beverage of Thurmont, Maryland passed away on March 9, 2024, at the age of 74. Roy was born in Hyde Park, Maryland on March 2, 1950. 

Roy had many fond memories of growing up in Hyde Park such as playing baseball and helping his father do the repairs and upkeep at Mars Hill Baptist Church.  Roy’s best friend Garry lived across the street from him.  They are friends to this very day.  Roy left high school early to join the Job Corps, training at the Jacobs Creek Job Corps in Tennessee and earning his GED there.  Roy learned to run heavy equipment and there met his ultimate mentor, Mr. Howard Brown.  Mr. Brown not only taught him technical knowledge but also stressed the importance of believing in God and treating people right.   

Roy’s training at Job Corps culminated in him becoming an Operating Engineer Union Member in Baltimore, Local 37.  At age 19 he was, and still is, the youngest “Card Carrying” member of the Operating Engineers Union.  

After working several years out of Local 37 as an operating engineer, Roy went into business for himself.  Royal Renovations was incorporated in 1984.   Roy worked on diverse projects.  He was a problem solver, producing creative solutions to construction and engineering problems. He worked on high-end projects as well as large scale construction projects. In 2014, Royal Renovations received a Residential Design Award for a Master Suite Renovation from the American Institute of Architects.  

Creating beautiful structures and furniture was not only Roy’s profession but his passion as well.  He would rapidly and proudly recite a few of the jobs with which he was involved:  Operating tower cranes on the World Trade Center and the Winthrop House in Baltimore; the Peach Bottom Nuclear Plant; the Baltimore subway and the Fort McHenry Tunnel.  He installed over 3000 windows in a single apartment complex in Baltimore and once installed a record 50 windows in one day!


As a child, Roy loved visiting “Aunt Clytie and Uncle Leo” in Marlinton, West Virginia (Pocahontas County), especially in the summer. He would sometimes spend his entire summer vacation from school there.  He would ride with Uncle Leo on the oil delivery truck. On Saturdays Roy and his siblings would earn a quarter each to go to the movies in town.  

In 1998, Roy and his family built a cabin on family property in Marlinton, West Virginia.  The cabin features five bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a Franklin wood stove; plus the mandatory wrap- around porch complete with rocking chairs from one end to the other.  Roy loved visiting there and he did so whenever he got the opportunity.

Roy met his future wife Catherine in 1969, right after Job Corps.  They were wed in 1972.  The couple gave birth to three children:  Nancy Michelle (died an infant), Jacob, and Stephen. Roy and Catherine worked hard to create opportunities and provide an education for Jacob and Stephen. He was proud to see his boys graduate from Gilman School, Vanderbilt University and Boston College. Watching his sons grow up and succeed was the most rewarding thing in Roy’s life.  He was proud of them, their wives, and his five grandchildren.  His family brought him great joy.  Being a grandfather was a wonderful chapter in his life. He took to the role fondly and Grand Dad was greatly loved by his grandkids.


You can also see his handiwork at his residence, affectionately known as “The Compound”.  He and his wife Cathy bought this property in 2000; then he added 10 outbuildings including a tree house with a suspension bridge and a three-car garage that he called “the shop.” Summers as The Compound would find grandkids running around the treehouse and Roy playing volleyball in the pool with the family.

Roy was predeceased by his parents Melvin and Joann, daughter Nancy, and his brother Richard.  He is survived by his wife Catherine, his sons Jacob (Jenn) and Stephen (Rochelle).  He has five grandchildren:  Luke, Claire, Isabelle, Jacqueline and Harrison.  He is also survived by his brother David (Charlene) and sister Mary Christina (Alvin).

There will be a service celebrating Roy’s life at noon on April 20, 2024, at the Knights of Columbus Gardens, 4301 Klosterman Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21236.  

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Emmitsburg Osteopathic Primary Care Center. EOPCC is the cumulation of the life work Roy’s friend and doctor, Bonita Portier, D.O.   EOPCC is a non-profit teaching and medical practice committed to serving all with compassionate care, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.  Checks may be made payable to EOPCC and sent to POB 291, Emmitsburg, MD  21727.   Roy loved this clinic.  

Roy Franklin Beverage - Husband, Father, Brother, Friend, and
Master Woodcrafter.   March 2, 1950 - March 9, 2024