68 JULY-AUGUST 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Dr. Beahler was predeceased by his wife of 48 years, Electra, in 2020. He is survived by a nephew, Alan Abbott of Texas; nieces Aleen Ball and Patricia O’Leary of Oklahoma; and niece-in-law, Colleen Snyder of Georgia, and nephew-in-law, Steve Nearring of Delaware. He will be interred with his wife at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date to be announced. n Martha Buck Binns, 91, a Foreign Service spouse, died peacefully on February 14, 2026, in hospice at her home in Tucson, Ariz., with her husband, Ambassador (ret.) Jack R. Binns, at her side. Ms. Binns was born in Albany, N.Y., on October 24, 1934. She graduated from Ridgewood High School in New Jersey and from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., in 1956. She met her husband, a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1956, at a 1954 Navy–Notre Dame football weekend, and they married in July 1956 following their respective graduations. Ms. Binns spent the first six years of her married life as a Navy spouse, accompanying her husband on assignments in Georgia, California, and Japan before he joined the Foreign Service in July 1962. This transition marked a significant turning point in their lives, coinciding with the arrival of their two daughters, Katherine and Margaret (Mimi), and a shift in focus from military service to diplomacy. Foreign Service assignments took the family to U.S. embassies in Guatemala, Bolivia, El Salvador, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Spain. In each posting, Ms. Binns was an active volunteer, contributing to Food for Peace programs, serving as a hospital aide, working in a well-baby clinic, and teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). She carried out these roles alongside her responsibilities as a diplomatic hostess and devoted mother. Domestic assignments included time at Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Department of State. During these years, Ms. Binns also held several professional roles, including ESL instructor in the Montgomery County public school system, staff member on the 1984 Gary Hart presidential campaign, and travel agent. Following Amb. Binns’ retirement in 1986, the couple remained in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a meeting planner for the National Planning Association. In 1990, with their daughters settled in New York City and Washington, D.C., they relocated to Tucson, where they embraced life in the desert community. After an initial period of retirement, Amb. Binns accepted a part-time role as public affairs director for a local Planned Parenthood affiliate—an experience that introduced them to an active established group with deep roots in the community that remained central to their social lives for more than three decades. In Tucson, Ms. Binns became a leader in numerous community organizations, including the League of Women Voters, Welcome Wagon, and ladies golf groups. In 1998, she was elected president of Skyline Country Club—becoming the first woman to hold that position. More than 25 years later, she remains the only woman to have served in that role. Ms. Binns is survived by her husband of 69 years, Jack R. Binns, of Tucson; daughter Katherine A. Binns (and spouse, Peter B. Brandt) of New York, N.Y.; daughter Margaret M. (Mimi) Binns of Buderim, Queensland, Australia; and granddaughter, Luna Marie Morrow of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. n Joseph James “Joe” Borich, 81, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on February 23, 2026, in Edmonds, Wash. Born in Duluth, Minn., on May 28, 1944, Mr. Borich moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., with his family when he was 10. He completed his education in South Dakota, earning both BA and MA degrees. In 1967 Mr. Borich spent three months in Hawaii training for a two-year assignment in the Peace Corps (Group 18, Thailand). His proficiency in foreign languages led to his selection to address the welcoming Thai officials upon arrival in Bangkok. This assignment was curtailed in 1969 when Mr. Borich’s Selective Service status was reclassified. He was sent to Vietnamese language training, followed by service in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 as an interpreter. On a whim, he took advantage of a three-day pass to Saigon to take the written Foreign Service exam, which he promptly forgot about upon return to South Dakota after his Vietnam service. The State Department pursued him, and Mr. Borich successfully completed the challenging screening and joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1972. After a nine-month course in Mandarin Chinese, he embarked on his first overseas assignment, to Taipei (1973–1975). Following domestic assignments in the State Department, Mr. Borich was selected in 1980 for the team that would reopen the American consulate in Shanghai, closed for 30 years after the Communist government severed relations with the United States. He was present when the American flag that flew over the consulate in 1950 was presented to consulate officers in 1980, and served there until 1982.
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