Finley Wren “Herb” Harbison

• Posted on: 07, 16, 2016
• By : David Brooks 
• Categories : Past Obituaries 
• Comments : 3

Mr. Finley Wren “Herb” Harbison, age 84 of Lebanon, passed away Saturday, July 16, 2016.

Born December 24, 1931 in Dickson County, Tennessee to Ernest Brown Harbison and Martha Tina Rebecca (Dudley) Harbison. He was preceded in death by his brother Keith Dudley Harbison, Dickson, Tennessee; and sisters Evelyn Harbison Allen, Charlotte, Tennessee; Juanita Harbison Belisle, Pueblo, Colorado; and Eloise Harbison Miller, Gray, Tennessee.

Mr. Harbison graduated from Dickson High School in 1949 and from Tennessee Technological University with a Civil Engineering degree, Tau Beta Pi Honors, in 1953. He then pursued a Juris Doctorate degree from the Nashville School of Law in 1973, and was licensed to practice law in Tennessee.

Mr. Harbison was commissioned in the United States Army in 1953 as a Second Lieutenant, Signal Corps. He served at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and in South Korea from 1954 through 1955.

Mr. Harbison married Miss Grace Harding on January 21, 1956 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mr. Harbison began his engineering career with the DuPont Company in Wilmington, Delaware in late 1955 through 1958. From 1958 through 1967, he was the lead engineer with the Metro Nashville Water Department. From 1967 through 1974, he was an engineer with the State of Tennessee Department of Highways. From 1975 through 1981, he was an engineer with Fred Wright Construction Company. From 1981 through 1993, Mr. Harbison was in private law practice in Davidson County. He retired in 1993.

He is survived by his wife of sixty years, Grace Harding Harbison; two children, Grace Louise (David) Buell, Huntsville, Alabama; and James E. (Elizabeth) Harbison, Nashville, Tennessee; five grandchildren, Miss Kathleen Harbison, and Miss Laura Harbison, both of Nashville; Mr. Gregory Harbison, Honolulu, Hawaii; First Lieutenant Keith (Meagan) Buell, U.S. Army, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and Miss Margaret Buell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and his sister Ernestine Harbison Huddleston.

Visitation will be at Ligon and Bobo Funeral Home, Lebanon, Tennessee on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 from 10-12 with graveside service immediately following at Goshen Cemetery, Bellwood, Tennessee.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Harbison Fellowship Class at Belmont United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee.