Ben Harned IV

Services for Ben Harned, IV, 53, of Tyler/Amarillo will be held Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 10:00 A.M. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Tyler with Revs. Todd Cooper of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and Gil Lain of Paramount Baptist Church of Amarillo officiating. Burial will follow in Cathedral in the Pines Cemetery in Tyler under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Mr. Harned passed away in an aircraft accident on July 25, 2013, in Amarillo, Texas. Ben Harned, IV was born May 29, 1960 in Tyler, Texas to Margaret Katherine Dunn Harned and Ben Harned, III. His mother served as the catering manager at the Women’s Building in Tyler as well as an interior decorator, and his father served as ship’s doctor and pharmacist and is interred at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery. Mr. Harned was a graduate of Tyler Junior College with an Associate’s Degree of Science in Petroleum Technology which took him across the world to the deserts of Saudi Arabia where at the age of 21 he supervised crews of 30 men on over ten off-shore drilling rigs. Mr. Harned traveled throughout the Middle East, Europe and the United States and eventually found his way back to his native home of Texas where he always considered Tyler his home. He spent many years in the panhandle owning and operating over ten automotive dealerships; he served as CEO of Payless Car Sales, the largest used car company in the U.S. at the time, and was a long time associate of Manheim Auto Auction. He was honored to be the keynote speaker at the National Automotive Dealers’ Association in Las Vegas, Nevada, served on the Borger City Council and played a major role in developing and constructing public works programs for the community including a women’s shelter and a baseball field. He won the Golden Nail Award several times for his support of the local arts community as well as many other sales and dealership awards. Mr. Harned was a strong advocate for or a member of numerous organizations such as Boy Scouts of America, Kiwanis Club, Special Olympics, Kids, Inc., Camp Tyler, Tyler Ski Club, and the Texas Adaptive Aquatics. Mr. Harned was a life-time pilot having first served in Civil Air Patrol of Tyler (formerly the Tyler Composite Squadron) at the age of 12. He earned his pilot’s license early on and had logged over 600 hours of flight time. He was passionate about aviation and had begun to pursue his commercial license. Mr. Harned grew up a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Tyler, returning home again in 2012. Concurrently, he was an active member of Paramount Baptist Church of Amarillo for over 10 years, with Rev. Gil Lain having baptized Ben, Tyler and Caitlyn in 2004. He adamantly believed that churches and their members were meant to be an extension of God’s hand with the true purpose of serving others. Ben was a business man, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a loving father and husband, and a genuine friend to all. Mr. Harned was preceded in death by his grandparents, Ben and Eunice Harned II, Charles and Vera Faye Wilkins Dunn, his father, Ben Harned, III, his mother, Margaret K. Harned, his sister Ann Hooley, and his great-nephew, Joshua Harman. He is survived by his wife of one year, Lisa Amerine Harned of Tyler; his children, Ben Tyler Harned, V of Tyler and Caitlyn Emma Harned of Austin; his sister, Jan Knoeppel, partner Harry Hall and son Mark Whitcomb and grandson Jacob, all of Plano; his niece Melissa Noble, husband Steve and children Spencer, Breanna, and Chance Noble all of Rowlett; his nephew Chris Whitcomb and wife Wendy and children, Sandi Fay, and Casey all of Allen; his niece Melanie Hooley McDade, partner Keith McCommas and son Cordell Fowler of Flint. Pallbearers will be Pat Everett, George Ward, Ben Conner, Jamie Noguess, Jerry Townsend, Chris Whitcomb, Steve Noble and B.J. McClenan. Honorary pallbearers will be Kenny Greear, Levi Noguess, Kurt Lester and Kip Lester. Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, 2013 from 6 to 7 PM with a memorial service following, at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Hwy, Tyler. You can follow the visitation/memorial service via online webcast by following the link http://app.eventbywire.com/viewevent/?id=021-493. In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Ben Harned, IV may be made to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 215 S. Clayton, Tyler, 75702; Camp Tyler Foundation, P.O. Box 1916, Whitehouse, 75791- 1916; Lupus Foundation of America Inc., P.O. Box 418629, Boston, MA., 02241-8629; or Azleway Charter School, 15892 CR 26, Tyler, 75707.

Ben Harned IV

May 29, 1960 - July 25, 2013