J.B. Napier

Local businessman, community leader and farmer J.B. Napier passed away on June 24, 2019. He was 91 years of age. Funeral services will be conducted Saturday at 10:00 A.M. at Graymere Church of Christ with John Vaughan and Bobby Sands officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens with military honors provided by the Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19. The family will visit with friends Friday from 4:00 – 8:00 P.M. at Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home.  Memorials can be made to Columbia Academy, 1101 West 7th Street, Columbia, TN 38401, Alzheimer’s Association, 478 Craighead St #200, Nashville, TN 37204, and Zion Christian Academy, 6901 Old Zion Rd, Columbia, TN 38401. Condolences may be extended online at www.oakesandnichols.com. He was a native of Maury County, born May 14, 1928 to John Bunch Napier and Connie Crews Napier. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Mary Agnes Napier Berry. Mr. Napier was educated in Maury County schools, having attended McDowell Elementary School, J.R. Whitthorne Junior High, and was a proud graduate of the former Columbia Military Academy (C.M.A.). He went on to briefly attend the University of Tennessee- Knoxville, but subsequently joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was stationed at Parris Island, SC as a Weapons Instructor during the Korean Conflict. After his military service, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, DC where he served for several years. Upon returning to Columbia, he opened Napier Bryant Service Station with Mack Bryant. It was located one block south of the Maury County Courthouse and they ran this business together for many years. On August 25, 1954 he married the former Shirley Anne Thompson of Mt. Pleasant, TN. They have four adult children, Tim (Dawn) Napier, Stan (Lesha) Napier, Steve (Lori) Napier, and Millie (Bart) Fite. In 1959, Mr. Napier, along with his wife, started a new business known for many years as Southern Termite and Pest Control Company, later becoming Pestco Systems, Inc. During his lifetime, Mr. Napier pursued various interests including agriculture/soil conservation, business and politics. He continued the family’s involvement with agriculture, running a family Century Farm that included registered Black Angus cattle, burley tobacco, and various row crops. At one time, it was said that the tobacco barn located on Napier Farm was the largest in Maury County. Mr. Napier championed soil conservation at the local, state, and national levels. He served as Past Chairman of the Maury County Soil Conservation Districts, Past President of the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts, Past Board Member of the National Association of Conservation Districts, and Past Council Member of the National Association of Conservation Districts. In the pest control industry, he served as a member of the Tennessee Pest Control Licensing Board, and as President of the Tennessee Pest Control Association. He served his community on a local governing body, formerly known as the Quarterly Court (i.e. now the County Commission) from 1970 to 1982. Starting in 1982 through 1996, he served in the Tennessee State Legislature representing the 64th District which encompassed Maury County. As a state legislator, he served as the Chairman of the Transportation Committee. A highlight of his political career was that of serving as a Delegate to the 1980 Democratic National Convention held in New York City that same year. Mr. Napier loved his family, his community, his country, and life on the farm and on the Tennessee River. He lived a full and productive life. He was a member of the Graymere Church of Christ. He was very involved in his community, serving as a lifelong member of the Kiwanis Club and American Legion Post 19. He served on the Advisory Board of Directors for First Farmers and Merchants Bank and the Board of Trustees of the Maury Regional Hospital. In 2004, he was honored to be named the Grand Marshal of the Columbia Mule Day Parade. Additional awards included the George F. Hixson Fellowship Award from the Columbia Kiwanis Club and the Liberty Bell Award presented by the Maury County Bar Association. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Shirley T. Napier and their four adult children. They share 8 grandchildren, Tabitha (Mike) Harder, Shannon Patterson, Kelly (Kris) Jones, Kaitlyn (Travis) Greene, John Napier, Jackson Fite, McKenzie Napier, and Charlotte Napier. Also, they are proud great grandparents to seven children. He is further survived by his niece, Connie Berry Green. The family would like to thank his caregivers: Daphne, Amber, Kim, Meicki, Michelle, Tonya, Tracy, Cassie, and others. Additional appreciation is extended to the Hospice Compassus staff and the doctors, nurses and staff of Maury Regional Medical Center for your care and consideration. Active pallbearers will include Jackson Fite, John Napier, Harry Mack Bryant, Tom Gordon, Will Gordon, Travis Grenne, Mike Harder, and Gerald Buie. Honorary pallbearers will include the members of Kiwanis Club of Columbia, Herbert Griffin American Legion Post 19, and Win Halliday.