Nathaniel Pratt Secrest

NATHANIEL PRATT SECREST
A Celebration of the life of Nathaniel Pratt Secrest will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, August 11, 2011 at First Baptist Church in Thomasville GA after a private family burial. Officiating will be the Reverend Dr. Milton C. Gardner and the Reverend T. Michael McDowell. Pratt Secrest died peacefully at home on August 6th at the age of 86. A man of faith, devoted to family, friends and community, Pratt Secrest lived out his favorite motto -- "A Great Day to Be Alive!" -- sharing encouragement with all whom he encountered. Born November 12, 1924 in Athens, Georgia to the late Edgar Lee Secrest and Evelyn Pratt Secrest, he served in the Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot during World War II and a Public Information Officer during the Korean War. After earning his degree in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Georgia, Secrest moved to Thomasville to manage a new radio station. He married the love of his life, Sarah Hasty, and spent 25+ years as president of Secrest Pulpwood and Timber, becoming Director of the American Pulpwood Association and Georgia Forestry Commission. Later, as a realtor, Secrest founded "First Thomasville Realty" and was named President of the Southwest Georgia Board of Realtors – developing some fine local neighborhoods such as Tall Pines, Victorian Square and A Place in the Woods. Loving his adopted homeland of Thomasville, Secrest invested in the community through leadership in the Chamber of Commerce, City Commission, Salvation Army Board, YMCA, Arts Guild and Historical Society. He was a founding member and Director of the Board of Brookwood School and was a Director of the Commercial Bank. After joining the Thomasville Rotary Club in 1947, Secrest served Rotary on every level – local to international - as Club President, District Governor, International Director, and Aide to the President. He was a Paul Harris fellow and received the international Polio Plus Pioneers Award. Accompanied by Sarah, he gave inspirational speeches on four continents as one of Rotary's best goodwill ambassadors. Pratt Secrest was a gifted communicator, storyteller, outdoorsman, pianist, poet and songwriter who greatly enjoyed people. In 1995, Thomasville city officials adopted the song, "Thomasville The Beautiful" sung to the tune of "America the Beautiful" as the official city song. "Secrest said he wrote the song while thinking about how wonderful the city is, and wanted to show his appreciation for the town. He dedicated the song to his wife, Sarah." He also relished God's Creation both at his Thomas County "Brookside" farm and also his Blue Ridge mountain home in Montreat NC. Secrest was the author of two poetry books: "For Better or Verse" and "Montreat, A Very Special Place." He was privileged through the years to be part of the church families of both First Baptist and First Presbyterian in Thomasville. A follower of Christ his entire life, Pratt Secrest was grateful for his loving family and countless opportunities to leave the world a little better than he found it, a legacy that can be summed up best in his own word, written in 1968: "Make the most of every minute! Put every hope and effort in it!
And when it's gone, don't stop and stare…another minute's waiting there!
God gives us all the same amount of minutes in each day to count,
Will we be proud, when life is done, of how we used each priceless one?" Nathaniel Pratt Secrest is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sarah Hasty Secrest of Thomasville GA; three daughters and sons-in-law – Cathy Secrest Ray and Hank Oklahoma, Lucinda Secrest McDowell and Michael Connecticut and Susan Secrest Waters and Glen Thomasville GA; nine grand-children – Catharine Ray Russell Michael, Henry Ray Chris, Pratt Ray Nicole, Justin McDowell, Timothy McDowell, Fiona McDowell, Maggie McDowell, Sarah Waters and Rachel Waters; and six great-grandsons – Madison, Brayden, and Landen Russell, Griffin and Carter Ray and Lincoln Ray. He was preceded in death by his brother E. Lee Secrest, Jr. and his sister Katrina Poole Froelich. The Secrest family will receive visitors on Wednesday, August 10th from 5-7 pm at Allen and Allen Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in honor of Pratt Secrest to the Thomasville Salvation Army Community Services, 514 North Madison Street, Thomasville, GA 31792; Thomasville Rotary Club Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1277, Thomasville, GA. 31799; or Brookwood School, 301 Cardinal Ridge Road, Thomasville, GA 31792
Visitors may sign the online guest register at www.allenfh.com . ALLEN & ALLEN FUNERAL HOME