December 31, 2025 – HRA18
In January, Bill Beard would have turned 95. Instead, this week we pause to honor a life marked not by headlines or accolades, but by quiet, faithful witness, week after week, stone by stone, name by name.
Bill Beard was a devoted volunteer, donor, and the photographer behind the Upstander Stone Project. He carefully documented thousands of hand-painted stones bearing the names of children murdered in the Holocaust, 1.5 million lives taken before they had the chance to grow up. Through his lens, Bill ensured those names would not fade into obscurity. He made remembrance visible.
HRA18 had planned to honor Bill as Volunteer of the Year today at the Nathaniel Center. He often said he “wouldn’t miss it for anything.” The news of his passing, peacefully, in his sleep the night before, has left our community heartbroken, yet deeply reflective. Bill’s absence is felt precisely because his presence mattered so much.
Bill never had children of his own. Yet through his work, he bore witness to thousands. Every stone he photographed represented a life interrupted, a story stolen, and a responsibility carried forward. In many ways, Bill became a guardian of those names. His devotion reminds us that remembrance is not passive; it is an act of moral courage.
The Holocaust Remembrance Association exists because of people like Bill, those who show up faithfully, not for recognition, but because memory demands stewardship. Through the Upstander Stone Project, he helped ensure that children lost to history are still spoken of, still seen, still honored.
In his memory, HRA18 has established a fund to continue the work Bill held so close, and has secured a donation of the initial $5,000 towards a personalized bench, which will be placed in his honor once the total funds of $18,000 needed are secured, creating a permanent space for reflection within the Holocaust Garden of Hope. The response from the community has already been profound, evidence of the impact one life of faithfulness can have, and your support toward this bench will be greatly appreciated.
Bill Beard believed that what is remembered is not lost. His life stands as a testament to that truth.
As we continue the work ahead, educating, bearing witness, and confronting antisemitism with clarity and resolve, we do so strengthened by his example. The names he helped preserve will continue to speak. The stones will remain. And so will the responsibility he carried with such quiet conviction.
May his memory be a blessing and a call to action.
Support the Bill Beard Memorial Fund and help continue the work of remembrance he devoted his life to.
Learn more and get involved:
https://holocaustremembranceassociation.org/what-we-do/upstander-stones-project/
HRA18.org/volunteer
The Holocaust Remembrance Association exists to remember, reconcile, and take a stand against antisemitism in all its forms.
