Harvey J. Vest Jr., a longtime McComb businessman, war veteran, civic leader and family man, died Wednesday at Camellia Estates in McComb.
He was 90.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Jones Family Funeral Services in McComb and will continue at 10 a.m. Saturday at Centenary United Methodist Church, where Mr. Vest was a member. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. at the church, and burial will be in Hollywood Cemetery.
Mr. Vest made his name in the McComb retail community by running the family shoe store, which opened in 1924 on Front Street, where the parking garage stands now. He eventually took over the business begun by his father, Harvey Sr.
Vest relocated to Main Street, expanding with women’s apparel, and adding a second shoe store, owned by his son Mark, in 1972. In a changing business climate, the Vest family closed both stores in 1999.
Former McComb Mayor Johnny Thompson knew Vest most of his life. Thompson was born in 1925 at his family home on Easy Street (now Kentucky Avenue).
Harvey Vest was 7 years old and lived next door.
“We were very close friends,” Thompson said. “He was impeccably honest. He was very straight-laced and deeply religious. He was a very successful businessman and retailer and had a good, clean business.”
Vest was civic-minded, but “not pushy as far as his personal positions were concerned,” Thompson said.
In 1960, as chamber president, Thompson asked Vest to be president of the chamber downtown retail group, a position that sparked a sense of civic activity in Vest.
“He was pleased to be appointed to something, and he seemed to ascend in the civic world. He ran for city board and served two terms.”
Vest was a member of Thompson’s daily afternoon and weekend coffee group for years until his health failed.
He was a longtime member of Centenary and taught the Oliver Emmerich Sunday School class for many years.
Mary Godbold of McComb knew Mr. Vest through church and business. And she was at Camellia Estates when he died.
“I worked for him a long time, about 18 years. He was very good, good to everybody. I’ve known him all these years. … He was my Sunday School teacher for years, and he knew his Bible. He was one of the best Sunday school teachers I’ve had all my life.”
Former Enterprise-Journal editor Charles Dunagin called Vest a “gentleman and a valuable citizen of McComb until advancing years removed him from the active scene.”
“I covered City Hall for the Enterprise-Journal when he was on the board of selectmen, and I can report that he was thoughtful and competent, always voting for what he thought to be the best interest of the city and its citizens,” Dunagin said.
“As a businessman, his integrity was impeccable. I can’t remember how many pairs of shoes I purchased from him, and I still have one pair he sold me just before his retirement. If he didn’t have what you wanted he would get it for you.”
Mr. Vest was married to the late Laurie Bacot Vest. They had four children, Mark, Martha, Mary and Michael.
He served in World War II, flying more than 30 Air Force combat missions in Germany. After returning from the war, he threw himself into the growing family shoe business and built a name for himself.
Over the years, he was active in the American Red Cross, the Chamber of Commerce, the Salvation Army and McComb Lions Club. He served on the advisory board of Deposit Guaranty National Bank and was an active member of the McComb High School Alumni Association.
He was the chamber’s small businessman of the year in 1992 and was the McComb Junior Auxiliary’s Azalea King in 1995.
