After a valiant battle with lung cancer, Harlan Dueard Askew went to be with the Lord on November 14, 2010. He is preceded in death by Jefferson Dueard Askew, father; Melba Brittain Peterson, mother; and Harold Askew, brother. He is survived by his beloved wife of fifty-six years Lois Annette Chalker Askew and two daughters: Tara Emerson (Rick), Eden Prairie, Minnesota; Dr. Dara Johns (Randy), Niceville, Florida; five grandchildren of whom he was very proud: Mason Xander Emerson, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and Rebecca Alicia Johns, Samuel Victor Johns, Shiloh Mellody Johns, and Zechariah Randall Johns, all of Niceville. Florida. He is also survived by two brothers Jeff and John Askew, Senoia, Georgia; nephew Ronald Chalker, Marietta, Georgia; niece Sue McCollum, Buchanan, Georgia.
A descendant of the early settler family of Askews, Harlan was born in Sharpsburg, Georgia, Through the line of his grandmother, Rosa Hammock Askew, he is a distant cousin of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind. As a youth, he was active in all sports and a member of the Raymond Baptist Church, Raymond, Georgia. In 1955, Harlan graduated from Berry Schools in Rome, Georgia and continued his education at the University of Maryland. He placed second in the Georgia Golden Glove competition in 1956. During a tour of duty in the United States Air Force, he served as a member of the United States Air Force Boxing Team. While serving in France, he toured with his wife in England, France, Switzerland, and attended the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, Belgium. His love of travel and historical places led him to travel the entire length of the old Highway 1 from Key West, Florida, to St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Harlan’s early pursuits were in the field of finance, serving as assistant manager for
General Finance offices in Valdosta, Georgia; Anniston, and Huntsville, Alabama. In Huntsville, he was named the salesman of the year for Orkin. In 1956, he was voted vice president of the Alabama Transportation Association. In Birmingham, as an entrepreneur, he owned and operated General Haulers, which had two divisions: hauling and automotive repair. For the last forty-two years, he had resided in Mountain Brook. He attended the Irondale United Methodist Church.
In retirement, Harlan acted the role of George Washington for the Birmingham chapter of Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. For his contributions, he was presented the George Washington Award. With his wife, he created Global Studies, a publishing company. In his spare time he was an avid reader, a collector of old books and records, and enjoyed gardening. He was a caring person whose greatest joy was to help others. He will be greatly missed.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. (CST) at Irondale United Methodist Church, 400 Deering Street, Irondale, Alabama, (205) 956-9711). The family will receive friends Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Irondale United Methodist Church. A short graveside service and interment will follow at Shiloh Methodist Church Cemetery in Kennesaw, Georgia, at 3:00 p.m. (EST).
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