Seldom, if ever, in one’s life are you charged with the responsibility of summarizing another person’s life. Who were they? What were their dreams? Who did they leave behind? What did they stand for?
Basil Harvey Case went to be with his Lord and Savior earlier this week. His family and friends were blessed to have known Mr. Case and have him as a part of their lives. He was a devoted Christian, husband, father, grand-father, brother, friend and mentor.
Basil Harvey Case, 72, of Central, died Monday, December 10, 2012. Visitation for Mr. Case will take place Thursday evening at Elkins Funeral Home on Hermitage Drive in Florence, Ala., from 5-7:30 p.m. Mr. Case’s funeral will take place at Highland Baptist Church on Simpson Street in Florence, Ala., Friday morning, at 10 a.m. with Dr. John Brock officiating.
Basil Harvey Case was born on March 25, 1940, in Russellville, Alabama, into a large family with many brothers and sisters. At an early age, Mr. Case learned hard work and dedication from his father, Basil Gray Case, a world known and nationally recognized checker player. Even to this day, his father, Basil Gray Case, is recognized as one of the world’s all-time greatest players in checkers, making Basil Harvey Case very proud of his father’s accomplishments. Early in life, Mr. Case broke and trained horses at Kings Ranch and Drive Inn and operated the movie projector at night during the summer. His mentor early in life was “LeeBo” King of King Ranch and Drive Inn Theater. Mr. Case chose to pursue his dreams and hitchhiked from Bear Creek, Ala., to Louisville, Kentucky, where he lived with his beloved Aunt, Grace Christoff. While living in Louisville, Mr. Case worked at Audubon Country Club as a golf caddy and at Churchill Downs in grounds keeping. While a man of small frame, he was still much too tall making it impossible for him to be a professional horse jockey as he once had hoped of being.
Thereafter, Mr. Case moved back to Franklin County, Ala., and later developed a lifelong friendship with Pauline and R. C. Weeks. They introduced Mr. Case to Virginia Nell Brooks, also of Franklin County, Ala. After falling in love and getting married in Chicago, Illinois, Nell Case gave birth to their daughter, Virginia Darnee Case. After Darnee’s birth, the family moved back to the Shoals Area. Mr. Case did not have a high school education but he studied for and obtained his G.E.D. Mr. Case began selling coffee products and cleaning supplies door-to-door for Standard Coffee to earn a living and provide for his family. Just as in everything else, Mr. Case became quite successful at being a salesman and later began working for Liberty National Life Insurance Company. As he excelled, he later started his own general insurance agency and became self-employed and began helping others with their life insurance needs. Mr. Case retired early as an insurance agent and from working altogether and turned his attention and focus to running road races, the University of North Alabama sports program, obtained leadership with the Shoals National Championship Committee, the UNA Sportsman Club, the Florence Civitan Club and other organizations. He would often travel with his lifelong friends, Grady Liles, Frank Potts, Sr., Joe Jackson, and others to out-of-town ball games. Oftentimes he would fly to UNA football games.
Mr. Case was a deacon for twenty-seven(27) years at Highland Baptist Church in Florence, Ala. and obtained leadership as the director of the Church Training Department and also as a life-long Sunday school teacher. Mr. Case took to his belief and heart-felt love and made it his responsibility to help other people. He was a long-time Cerebral Palsy Telethon participant. He enlisted support from community leaders, business leaders, and others throughout the community he knew whom would and could contribute. Mr. Case helped raise countless dollars for local charities by helping those less fortunate than him. Many light-hearted arguments took place between he, his family, and his friends as to whom needed help and those who could help themselves. While being extremely hard-headed, he was soft hearted. He contributed financially to St. Jude’s Research Hospital and Good Samaritans Purse. Those were his two favorite charities.
Mr. Case was a husband, father, grand-father, brother, friend and mentor. He left behind a loving ex-wife, Virginia Nell Brooks Case; his daughter, Virginia Darnee Case Samples and son-in-law, Mark Samples; grandson, Jackson Brooks Samples; and his son, Tim Case.
Basil Harvey Case was a hard-worker and he believed in treating other people as he would have wanted to be treated. Mr. Case was very much loved by many and will remain very much loved.
Mr. Case will be laid to rest at Tri-Cities Memorial Gardens in Florence, Ala.
Pallbearers will be Bob Reynolds, Shea West, Jack Bobo, Billy Kelly, Tom Childers, Joe Medders, Jim Vardaman, Lester Wooten, Jimmy Carringer, Roy Graves, and Joe Jackson.
Honorary Pallbearers will be Acy Evans, Grady Liles, Tony Logan, Tony Hughes, Kem Jones, Gregory Scott McFall, Kenneth Tays, Tim Jones, James Irby and Darryl Moon.
Very special thanks from the family are extended to Jessica West, Richard Richey, Brad Potts, and Tommy Brown.
