Harvey Frank Lively

Harvey Frank Lively was born on a warm day on July 15th, 1935 and died on a warm day on January 2nd, 2022. He was born to Holbrook Frank and Sybil Waits Lively at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

He graduated from John Marshall High School in Richmond, Virginia, where he loved being a member of the Cadet Corp playing the bass drum. His Cadet Corp played at the Eisenhower inauguration in 1953. He also attended The University of Richmond.

Also, in 1953, he met the girl of his dreams, Janis Kersey, at General Electric Company in Richmond and they married on October 24th, 1959. They began their life together while he was in the Army Reserves and was employed at Federated Insurance Company. In 1967, he was approached about a job in Atlanta working for M. F. Bank Salvage Company. His job took him to many locations around the country as well as some international locations.

Janis and Frank began their family in Richmond in 1963, with the birth of Mary Elizabeth. In 1968, they were blessed with another daughter, Kristen, who was born at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.

Later, Frank’s own company, The Restoration Company, did worldwide catastrophe restoration on major buildings that had burned or suffered disasters. In the case of the World Trade Center bombing, his team was able to determine what items could be restored. Many of the owners he worked with were destroyed emotionally and he helped to restore them, as well. After retirement, he continued to dabble in the salvage business and even served as a consultant with Virtual Freight Inspections doing assessments for them as late as a week ago.

This is the same Frank Lively you might have met at a golf tournament. Frank and Janis enjoyed the strategic process of organizing the golfers before they reached the first tee. He was the General Manager of the Nationwide PGA and Senior PGA tournaments when they were held in the Atlanta area. He met many top golfers during that time and counted Phil Niekro, who hosted a tournament for his charity, as a friend. In 1996, he was pleased to be able to volunteer at the Olympics in Atlanta. He was a driver for the Algerian track delegation and loved getting to know the athletes and be part of the action.

You might have also met him at church. He taught the Discovery Class at Wieuca Road Baptist Church for 18 years, and then took his incredible knowledge and curiosity to the Fellowship Class of First Baptist Church of Decatur. He never met a stranger and yearned for a good discussion. He enjoyed research, especially if he found someone who disagreed with him. He loved the Word of God. The deeper the study, the more nuggets he would bring for the class to discuss or even argue. Greeting church goers at the entrance on Sunday mornings brought him great pleasure and he came to be known as Mr. First Class.

Nothing brought more joy than his “girls”. His wife of 62 years, Janis, daughters Mary Beth and Kristen brought him much happiness. However, it was the granddaughters, Jordan and Carson Engle who were the icing on the cake. He loved them like no other. He loved his friends and his family, and he was never short on advice. Likely he never knew how many people loved and respected him. Frank is also survived by his brothers Ron (wife Charlotte) of Richmond and Mark (wife Holly) of Gainesville. He had many beloved nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.

The family will receive friends at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 8, 2022 at Patterson’s Arlington Chapel at 173 Allen Road in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The service will follow at 3:00 p.m.

Out of respect for fellow mourners, the family requests masks to be worn during visitation and the service.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to First Baptist Church of Decatur or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.