Nathan “Nate” Dixon McClure Jr. passed away peacefully Monday, April 11, 2011, in Southern Pines, surrounded by his family.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, in Southern Pines. The family will receive friends following the service.
Nate was a retired banker and community leader. He was born Nov. 16, 1919, in Akron, Ohio, the son of Nathan D. and Louise O. McClure. He was a graduate of the Hotchkiss School, Lakeville Connecticut (1938), and Yale University (1942). He served in the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1946. While Nate was in the Army and stationed in Blacksburg, Va., his commanding officer arranged a date with his sister-in-law, Charloette “DeDe” Bender. They were married in December 1943. She passed away in 1993. In 1994 he married Renee Hyatt, who survives him.
After his discharge from the Army, he joined the Northern Trust Co. and became a trust officer. In 1960 he joined the First National Bank and Trust Co. of Rockford, Ill. He served as vice president and trust officer from 1963 until 1975, and senior trust officer until his retirement in 1983.
It was his service to the community that defined Nate. He joined the Rotary Club of Rockford in 1965, and served as a member of the board of directors. Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self,” and he lived that motto and remained a proud Rotarian until his death. When he moved from Rockford to Carolina Trace, he joined the Sanford Rotary Club and then joined the Rotary Club of Pinehurst when he moved to Pinehurst. He was active in as many activities as he could be. He was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.
While in college, he served as a Scoutmaster for a Boy Scout troop. He continued that while living in Geneva, Ill. After moving to Rockford, he became a neighborhood commissioner and then a member of the executive board of the local council. He received the Silver Beaver Award in recognition of his dedicated service.
He served as president of the Illinois Bankers’ Association trust division. He was a member of the Rockford College Board of Counselors.
Nate was a member of the board of trustees of Rockford Memorial Hospital and served terms as secretary and president of the board. He was also a member of the board of trustees of the Goldie B. Floberg Center for Children in Rockton, Ill., and served terms as treasurer and president. He was a member of the board of trustees of Keith Country Day School, a private secondary school, and served as secretary for many years.
His service to the Rockford Community Trust, now the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, was one of the avenues of service that he enjoyed the most. He was a member of the board of trustees and served as secretary for seven years. When he retired from banking, he became the Community Trust’s first employee, serving as the part-time paid executive secretary from 1977 until 1983.
Nate contracted polio when he was in high school. In recent years, he suffered from post-polio syndrome, a condition that affects polio survivors years after recovery from an initial acute attack of the poliomyelitis virus. Most often, polio survivors start to experience gradual new weakening in muscles that were previously affected by the polio infection and also in muscles that seemingly were unaffected by the virus. As the weakening increased, Nate was forced to give up his favorite activities of golf and cruises. He spent his last days surrounded by his loving family.
He is survived by his wife of 17 years, Renee. He is also survived by his son, Nathan D. McClure III and wife, Donna, of Lynchburg, Va.; stepdaughter, Cheryl Crumpecker and husband, Skip, of Kansas City, Mo.; stepson, Dennis Hyatt and wife, Patty, of Eugene, Ore.; three granddaughters, Teal McClure and fiance, Anthony Iovinetti, of Lynchburg, Alicia McClure Schneider and husband, Michael, of Bedford, Va., and Megan McClure; two step-grandchildren, Christina Crumpecker, of Denver, and Cayce Gilhousen and husband, Brian, of Kansas City; one great-granddaughter, Gabriella McClure, of Lynchburg; his sister Barbara Welkos, of Elkhorn, Wisc.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to his first wife and his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, Douglas; and two sisters, Priscilla McClure and Ann Schirmer.
Memorials may be made to the Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Campaign, Rotary International, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60210. Online condolences may be made at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines is assisting the family.