Olive Havard Hearon, 91, passed away on Feb. 24, 2017 at home in Lillian, Alabama.
Olive was born May 25, 1925 in Bluff Springs, Florida. After graduating from Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama she trained with the Women's Air Service Patrol where she learned to fly.
She was stationed in New Orleans, and at the end of WWII she moved to New York City where, in 1947, she served in the newly formed United Nations Special Committee on Palestine. During that period, Olive actively traveled to Paris, Geneva and ultimately Palestine. She was present during the creation of the state of Israel and wrote a book detailing those days titled Abraham's Children.
In 1951 Olive returned to Mobile where she worked as a reporter for The Mobile Press Register. On Sept. 29th of that year, she married William Bobby Hearon. He predeceased her in 2004.
Olive continued her career as a writer and publisher throughout her life, working for The Brewton Standard and later as an information officer at Brookley Field in Mobile. Her last assignment as an information officer was at the Pensacola Naval Air Station where she obtained the highest grade for a civilian employee and frequently traveled to Washington, D.C., San Diego, California and New London, Connecticut. While at the Naval Air Station she took classes to complete her college degree and then took a year's sabbatical to pursue her master's degree at Indiana University.
In 1969, Olive and Bob moved to Lillian, Alabama. After retirement, they enjoyed foreign travel to Europe and Asia and traveling throughout the United States in their Airstream trailer.
Olive was an active member of the Lillian community as a founder of the Lillian Library, the local Republican Party and the Lillian Fellowship Church.
Fascinated by her family's long history in the area - which dates back to 1827, she published a monograph about the history of Lillian and the surrounding area.
Olive was predeceased by her parents, Azolene Havard Pickens and James Pickens; her sister, Aurelia Azolene Curry; and her first husband, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson.
She is survived by her sister, Katherine Travis of Auburn, Alabama; her children, Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson of Berkeley, California, James Chase Hearon of Honolulu, Hawaii and Elaine Leslie Lomers of Lillian, Alabama.
Her son, Stephen Morris Hearon, predeceased her.
She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Melissa Elliot, William Lomers, Star Bouchard, James Martin Hearon and Stephen Cody Hearon; eight great-grandchildren; her nieces, Joyce Oliver, Davida Hartley, Nancy Connors; and her nephew, Tommy Curry.
Visitation will be on Thursday, March 2, from 10-11 a.m., and the service will be at 11 a.m. in the chapel at Pine Rest, with interment to follow.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Lillian Fellowship in Lillian, Alabama and to the Lillian Library.
Arrangements by Pine Rest Funeral Home, Foley, www.pinerestfuneralhome.com.
