Harry Joseph Shive, 85, of Drifting died Monday, Jan. 13, 2014 at home with his loving wife and children at his side.
Born in Snow Shoe, he was the son of the late Harry W. and Martha Leona (Radar) Shive. He married Dorothy L. MacNamara on April 10, 1950.
He graduated from the Snow Shoe High School. He rescued a wrecked tandem truck and fixed it to start his first job. It was the first tandem truck in the area; however, his heart was always pulled to farming and raising animals.
In 1955, he sold his truck and bought a dairy farm in Drifting. He attended Penn State University and received a certificate from the Department of Agriculture Short Course for dairy farming. He successfully farmed for 20 years and was nominated as a Pennsylvania Master Farmer a number of times.
He was the first farmer in the area to build an automated milking parlor. He started Shive’s Dairy, which sold raw milk and ice cream. In 1976, he sold the farm and started working for Johnson and Morgan Coal Co. but soon after started an excavation company and worked with his wife. In 2000, he sold the company to his son and retired on paper but was never far from working either a tractor or a backhoe.
Mr. Shive was a successful owner of two professions: farming and excavation. He was a skilled mechanic, which he learned from his father. He was a loving husband of 63 years and a devoted father to nine children; 25 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; and nine step-great-grandchildren.
He loved hunting and being in the outdoors. He was a member of the St. Severin Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, a part-owner of Long’s Dairy and a member of the Iron Workers Local No. 772. He helped replicate the existing bell tower for the St. Severin Old Log Church.
In addition to his wife, he’s survived by his daughters, Joan Evans (Philip) of Marshallville, Ohio, Judi Hauck (Walter) of Madison, NJ, Mary Kay Beveridge (Tuck) of Allport, Janet Jonson (Mike) of State College and Jacqui Chiarkas (Henry) and his sons, Mike (Jackie) of Boalsburg and Danny (Colleen) and Pat (Tink), both of Drifting, and a sister, Mary Doherty of Snow Shoe.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, John Allen and a son, Mark and a grandchild, Maggie.
Friends and family will be received from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday at the St. Severin Catholic Church and also from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Friday.
A mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the church. Committal will be at the St. Severin Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the St. Severin Old Log Church restoration, P.O. Box 159, Frenchville, PA 16836. The family would like to thank the Clearfield Hospice for compassionate care of Mr. Shive during his final days.
