Obituary of Harvey David Hamm, Sr.

PITTSBURG, Texas—Harvey David Hamm, Sr., 82, died Friday, March 24, 2017, in Pittsburg. Celebration of life services will be held 1 p.m. Monday at the First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg, where he was a member. Visitation will be one hour before the service. Burial will be private in the Fairview Cemetery, Clarksville, Texas. Pallbearers will be members of the Masonic Lodge with Honorary Pallbearers being Realtors and Staff at Mayben Realty. Born in Clarksville on October 19, 1934, he married his high school sweetheart Shirley Sloan Hamm on August 15, 1954. Their inspiring and fairytale love story has concluded with his passing away just two short weeks after losing the love of his life. A natural born salesman, he spent his career in sales. He began at Lone Star Cadillac in Dallas, working in the service department and found his way quickly onto the sales floor. He never stopped! Days before his death, he was still taking calls on his cell phone as a Realtor. Harvey owned and operated Hamm Motor Company in Pittsburg, a Chrysler Plymouth dealership. As a salesman, he sold insurance, had a gas station, a retail shoe store, and a restaurant. In the end, he spent the better part of his career in the auto and real estate industries, and loved telling stories to people along the way. He was instrumental in the formation of Mayben Realty, where he was a licensed Realtor and Vice President. He was a member and past director of the Titus Camp Morris Upshur Board of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, and National Association of Realtors. He leaves behind decades of happy homeowners and clients. He was a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason and received his 50- year pin. His daughter fondly remembers the many hours he spent taking the Dale Carnegie Course, which he continued to use daily until his passing. A master chef, he loved to cook for family and friends. Always the entertainer and always telling a story, he loved to cook at deer camp, men’s prayer breakfasts, elaborate family dinners, and at age 75, he was one of the first to enroll in the Culinary Arts Program at Northeast Texas Community College. Entertaining and serving his friends and family as Shirley hosted, brought him the greatest of joy. Always happy, always charismatic, always compassionate, he spent his life truly caring for others. He began early in life caring for his six sisters, then doting over his bride of 62 years, raising their two children, swelling with pride over his beloved grands and great grands, and had a genuine passion for caring for the friends he encountered along the way. Left to cherish his memory are son Harvey David Hamm, Jr. and wife Linda of Mount Pleasant, Texas; daughter Melinda Mayben and husband Paul R. of Pittsburg; granddaughter Jennifer Hamm-Veal and fiancé Kevin of Texarkana, Texas; grandson Michael Mayben and wife Karla of Mount Pleasant; grandson Mitchell Mayben and wife Casey of Pittsburg; great granddaughters Josie Veal, Kenlie Mayben, Kennady Ebarb-Mayben, and Kynslee Ebarb-Mayben; great grandsons Noah Veal and Keyton Mayben; sisters Beth Jones of Clarksville, Mattie Cash of Fort Worth, Joyce Cooke of Springtown, Texas; Joy Wilson of Decatur, Texas; Cynthia Bishop of Midland, Texas; lifelong best friend Edward Williams of Midland, and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his honor to the Pittsburg-Camp County Library - Shirley Sloan Hamm Children’s Initiative, 613 Quitman St., Pittsburg, TX, 75686.