Harry Nave, son of Isaac and Hester Nave, was born at Thompsonville
in Franklin County, Illinois, on December 12, 1885. Departed
this life at the Illinois Central Hospital, Paducah, Kentucky,
on March 24, 1954, at the age of 68 years, 3 months and 12 days.
Surviving, besides the immediate family are two brothers, Fred,
of Carbondale, Ill., and Raymond of Thompson, Ill., two sisters,
Mrs. Ethyl Perryman of West Frankfort, Ill., and Mrs. Dorothy
Webb of Tulsa, Okla. Harry grew to manhood in the Thompsonville
community and on August 13, 1913 he was married to Clara Tate,
who also had grown up in tat community. Shortly after their marriage,
Harry brought his young bride to Reevesville for the remainder
of his life.
Entering into all community activities, including those of the
church, Harry and Clara won the love and respect of everyone in
the community.
Three children were born to bless their home, James, now resident
of Chicago, Illinois, Eugene, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Mary Hester
Brannon of Metropolis.
Harry became a member of the Masonic Lodge in 1916, holding his
membership in New Columbia Lodge No. 336, situated on a high hill
near Ganntown, Illinois. Devoted to Masonry, he entered into
the activities of the lodge with the same enthusiasm he had shown
for all civic and community projects. He was Worshipful Master
of his lodge numerous times, and what a Master he was in charging
his newly made brethren to "Regulate their lives by the Plumb
line of justice and to square their actions by the square of virtue."
He, himself, cultivated assiduously the noble tenets of brotherly
love, belief and truth.
Several years ago the community in which he lived received a delightful
surprise when there appeared in our county papers, "Items
from Reevesville, by Harry Nave." A hidden talent had been
uncovered in the community. Harry was more than a writer of "news
items." He was a columnist of no mean ability. His homespun
philosophy and natural wit gained for him renown as a writer far
and wide. In 1939 he was presented a plaque from the Crowell
Collier Publications as the best County correspondent in Illinois.
Perhaps he rose to his greatest height in writing obituaries
of some of those in the community who had passed on to their reward.
Since 1937, he has written a column in the weekly newspapers
of Pope, Johnson and Massac Counties., as well as being a contributor
to the Illinois Central Magazine.
He lived by the same philosophy that was so much in evidence in
his columns. A kindly man, tolerant and generous to a fault.
The only man, perhaps who, in his columns could poke fun at the
village "Dead Beat," an elderly widow, or a preacher
who happened to be holding a meeting in his church, without arousing
the least resentment from those who were victims of his jibes.
For they well knew there was no venom associated with any of
the pointed barbs that might appear in his columns.
The people of Reevesville, whom he wrote so much about, are going
to miss Harry Nave. He had all of the qualities that are essential
to being a good neighbor. He was never too busy to stop and "lend
an ear" to the troubles of his neighbors and his name generally
headed the list when contributions were in order for those in
the community who had suffered tragedy or misfortune. A firm
believer in the "Goodness of Man," he saw good in everybody,
and never believed that anyone fell so low that they were beyond
redemption.
In his forty-four years of service with the Illinois Central,
harry has copied thousands of train ordered and flashed the green
signal to numberless engineers when they asked for clearance.
And then came the day when someone else copied the Orders and
Harry was asking for Clearance. On Wednesday of last week, he
received the green light Bidding "Good-night and Thirty"
to his loved ones he started on his final run to "That Eternal
Home From Whose Bourn no Traveler Returns."
Funeral services were from the Methodist Church in Metropolis,
the Rev. R. A. Lappman officiating, assisted by the Rev. Herbert
Keeling. Interment in Massac Memorial Gardens, Metropolis.
Baynes Funeral Home of Metropolis in charge of arrangements.
_____Copied from Herald-Enterprise, April 1, 1954.