Chad Beckholdt, 41, a recent military veteran and expectant mother, was vacationing with his family at Disney World over St. Patrick’s Day when he began experiencing severe chest pains.
The sudden pain only got worse the closer they got to the Magic Kingdom.
Veteran Magic Kingdom visitor who had perfection passes away
The Gulfport, Mississippi, native only had to sit for a few moments before boarding the monorail. Beckholdt was focused on making sure his family had a fun day at the theme park. His pregnant wife also didn’t suspect her husband was seriously ill because he seemed healthy during the trip. His wife said it all happened so quickly that Beckholdt collapsed at the Transportation and Ticket Center and was later pronounced dead at Celebration Hospital.
“My husband was a wonderful man who loved God, his children and his wife with all his heart. We are expecting another daughter at the end of June and I am still so saddened and shocked that my husband is no longer with us,” his wife, Cynthia Beachhold, said in an email.
She said she still doesn’t have answers as to why her husband died.
The coroner’s office confirmed Monday that his cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
According to a recently released Orange County sheriff’s incident report, Beckholdt had a family history of heart attacks in his 40s.
To help the Beckhold family, Here is the baby registry.
He was a man of service, his wife said.
Beckholdt retired from 21 years of service in the U.S. Navy six weeks before his death.
“He served as a logistics specialist stationed in Italy, Mayport, Fla., Gulfport, Miss., Norfolk, Va., and again in Gulfport, and deployed to Spain, Japan, and Afghanistan aboard two aircraft carriers (USS Kennedy CVN 79 and USS Truman CVN 75),” his wife said in an email. “He was promoted to Navy Commander in 2016 and often worked with Sailors struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. He had lost his own father to suicide, and helping those struggling with depression was very important to him.”
March 17th was the second day of our family vacation.
The previous day, they had celebrated his wife’s birthday at Epcot and had treated their infant daughter to breakfast in a character dining area with Disney princesses before the baby was born. That evening, the family explored the World Showcase.
“It was a really beautiful day,” his wife said.
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