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Monday
March 15, 2010 Since 1922 |
Navarre leaves record of service to Baytown
By Kari Griffin
Baytown Sun Published July 15, 2008 Longtime Baytonian Jess Navarre died Sunday at the age of 76 after a years of battling Alzheimer’s disease, but he left behind a legacy of caring for the community he called home.
Navarre served the community in traditional ways, such as becoming a member of the Rotary Club of Baytown, (which recently honored him with a Paul Harris award), Baytown Optimist Club, Cedar Bayou Masonic Lodge #321 and the Baytown Shrine Club and in his own unique way by helping families when they needed someone the most.
“His life was really this funeral home,” his son Chris Navarre, (Navarre Funeral Home & Cremation Services), said. “You could not ask for a better ambassador for a profession.”
Navarre and his brother Mike learned the basics of the funeral home business from mortuary school, but it was their father who taught them the most important lessons – like focusing on the families they serve instead of what the competition is doing.
“They just taught us things out of the book,” Navarre said of his school teachers. “But our father taught us to be true funeral directors.”
Navarre’s secret to success was simple.
“He cared,” his son said.
After his introduction to the funeral business in high school, Navarre worked at funeral homes in Beaumont, Groves and Dayton before relocating to Baytown.
“When the funeral homes here in Baytown got out of the ambulance business, the City of Baytown had to put it out for bid,” Navarre said. “That’s how we wound up in Baytown. Dad got the contract to provide ambulance service to the city in 1967,”
And this city, Navarre said, became his home.
“The people embraced him and he embraced the community,” Navarre said.
Navarre had paramedics and mobile intensive care units here before it was required, his son said.
“His true calling was the funeral business,” Navarre said. “There are so many folks who just come up to me saying what he did for their family. To this day, people tell me about when he picked somebody up in the ambulance or when he handled funeral services.”
Navarre said his father and mother Clara were a team who worked behind the scenes a lot of times to make Baytown better through anonymous donations, and his father had a lot to be proud of.
“He was proud of his family. He was proud of his Cajun heritage. He was proud of his Navy service,” Navarre said. “He was proud when I joined the Marines, even though it wasn’t the Navy.”
Navarre, a Navy veteran who served on the USS Lyman K. Swenson, attended all of the veteran ceremonies in Baytown, and even traveled to different parts of the country for Navy reunions.
“Because of his personality, he was always the first choice for the emcee position,” Navarre said.
Navarre also found the time to give back by getting involved in local education.
Before Navarre’s daughter Judy Jirrels became a Lee College Regent, the funeral director served on the board from 1996-2004.
But it’s still Navarre’s service to families burying a loved one that residents remember him most for.
“Some folks work to live. My father just lived to work,” Navarre said.
And he didn’t just work at one of Baytown’s most well-known funeral homes.
Navarre was also a reserve deputy for Pct. 3 Constable Ken Jones, as well as Jones’ good friend.
“I’ve known Jess since 1981,” Jones said. “Anytime you needed anything, Jess was always there.”
The Constable described Navarre as a practical joker who could cheer anyone up, (no matter how bad a day they were having), simply by being himself.
“He kept you laughing,” Jones said. “It was a standing joke between me and him that when he came down to the office, they would say ‘Digger O’Dell, (the friendly undertaker), is up front.’”
But as fun as Navarre was to be around, he had a serious side too, as well as a very strong affection for people, Jones said.
“He always tried to meet the needs of the people,” Jones said.
When someone couldn’t afford escorts, Navarre would ring up the Constable’s Office and Jones’ deputies would help.
“Jess was that type,” Jones said. “He told me one time, ‘I guess there’s not a person in this world I wouldn’t help.’ And I really think Jess meant it because if you needed help, Jess Navarre would help you.”
In his 32 years as pastor at Old River Baptist Church, there’s no telling how many funerals Rev. Danny Biddy presided over with Navarre – but he’s sure that number is quite high and higher than the number of services Biddy’s done with any other funeral director.
“I was 26 when I came here and Jess just took me on to raise and really helped me to be able to minister to families in their time of grief,” Biddy said. “Jess was as genuine a person as I’ve ever known. He approached his job, not as a business, but as a calling and a ministry.”
One of Biddy and Navarre’s favorite pastimes was visiting mutual friends Jim Sterling, (who started and owned Sterling Funeral Home where Navarre worked at one time), and Bill Blake.
“If we happened to meet up at Bill Blake’s used car business, Jess and I enjoyed trying to gang up on Bill,” Biddy said. “We never did do too good a job at it, but we always tried.”
Biddy was also impressed with the way Navarre and Sterling were friends, even though they both owned funeral homes.
“They had a comradery, not a competition,” Biddy said.
The pastor said his friend was someone who got along with everybody, never met a stranger and could handle any situation.
“In Proverbs Chapter 15, the Bible says ‘a soft answer turns away wrath,’” Biddy said. “Jess was a master at that. He was just someone who modeled what I would call Biblical meekness, which is strength under control.”
Put Navarre in an emotionally charged situation, like many grief situations can be by the mere nature of them, and it was like “the more difficult the situation, the more he could rise to the occasion to soothe and smooth things out.”
One of the greatest phone calls Biddy ever received was from Navarre.
“Jess called me one day just to say, ‘I’ve been wanting to let you know that I trusted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and savior, and I want to thank you for helping me get there,’” Biddy said. “I don’t know how in the world I helped him get there, but we would just always pray about things, but that was such a great phone call.”
And Navarre left his mark not only through his commitment to his community, but his devotion to his family.
“Jess’ family has been a ministering family to this entire community,” Biddy said. “So that spirit that he had, he has passed along to his family.”
And the countless friends Navarre made just by being there for people will no doubt be remembered.
“It’s a great loss,” Biddy said of Navarre’s death. “Men like him just don’t come along everyday.”
Baytown Sun Published July 15, 2008 Longtime Baytonian Jess Navarre died Sunday at the age of 76 after a years of battling Alzheimer’s disease, but he left behind a legacy of caring for the community he called home.
Navarre served the community in traditional ways, such as becoming a member of the Rotary Club of Baytown, (which recently honored him with a Paul Harris award), Baytown Optimist Club, Cedar Bayou Masonic Lodge #321 and the Baytown Shrine Club and in his own unique way by helping families when they needed someone the most.
“His life was really this funeral home,” his son Chris Navarre, (Navarre Funeral Home & Cremation Services), said. “You could not ask for a better ambassador for a profession.”
Navarre and his brother Mike learned the basics of the funeral home business from mortuary school, but it was their father who taught them the most important lessons – like focusing on the families they serve instead of what the competition is doing.
“They just taught us things out of the book,” Navarre said of his school teachers. “But our father taught us to be true funeral directors.”
Navarre’s secret to success was simple.
“He cared,” his son said.
After his introduction to the funeral business in high school, Navarre worked at funeral homes in Beaumont, Groves and Dayton before relocating to Baytown.
“When the funeral homes here in Baytown got out of the ambulance business, the City of Baytown had to put it out for bid,” Navarre said. “That’s how we wound up in Baytown. Dad got the contract to provide ambulance service to the city in 1967,”
And this city, Navarre said, became his home.
“The people embraced him and he embraced the community,” Navarre said.
Navarre had paramedics and mobile intensive care units here before it was required, his son said.
“His true calling was the funeral business,” Navarre said. “There are so many folks who just come up to me saying what he did for their family. To this day, people tell me about when he picked somebody up in the ambulance or when he handled funeral services.”
Navarre said his father and mother Clara were a team who worked behind the scenes a lot of times to make Baytown better through anonymous donations, and his father had a lot to be proud of.
“He was proud of his family. He was proud of his Cajun heritage. He was proud of his Navy service,” Navarre said. “He was proud when I joined the Marines, even though it wasn’t the Navy.”
Navarre, a Navy veteran who served on the USS Lyman K. Swenson, attended all of the veteran ceremonies in Baytown, and even traveled to different parts of the country for Navy reunions.
“Because of his personality, he was always the first choice for the emcee position,” Navarre said.
Navarre also found the time to give back by getting involved in local education.
Before Navarre’s daughter Judy Jirrels became a Lee College Regent, the funeral director served on the board from 1996-2004.
But it’s still Navarre’s service to families burying a loved one that residents remember him most for.
“Some folks work to live. My father just lived to work,” Navarre said.
And he didn’t just work at one of Baytown’s most well-known funeral homes.
Navarre was also a reserve deputy for Pct. 3 Constable Ken Jones, as well as Jones’ good friend.
“I’ve known Jess since 1981,” Jones said. “Anytime you needed anything, Jess was always there.”
The Constable described Navarre as a practical joker who could cheer anyone up, (no matter how bad a day they were having), simply by being himself.
“He kept you laughing,” Jones said. “It was a standing joke between me and him that when he came down to the office, they would say ‘Digger O’Dell, (the friendly undertaker), is up front.’”
But as fun as Navarre was to be around, he had a serious side too, as well as a very strong affection for people, Jones said.
“He always tried to meet the needs of the people,” Jones said.
When someone couldn’t afford escorts, Navarre would ring up the Constable’s Office and Jones’ deputies would help.
“Jess was that type,” Jones said. “He told me one time, ‘I guess there’s not a person in this world I wouldn’t help.’ And I really think Jess meant it because if you needed help, Jess Navarre would help you.”
In his 32 years as pastor at Old River Baptist Church, there’s no telling how many funerals Rev. Danny Biddy presided over with Navarre – but he’s sure that number is quite high and higher than the number of services Biddy’s done with any other funeral director.
“I was 26 when I came here and Jess just took me on to raise and really helped me to be able to minister to families in their time of grief,” Biddy said. “Jess was as genuine a person as I’ve ever known. He approached his job, not as a business, but as a calling and a ministry.”
One of Biddy and Navarre’s favorite pastimes was visiting mutual friends Jim Sterling, (who started and owned Sterling Funeral Home where Navarre worked at one time), and Bill Blake.
“If we happened to meet up at Bill Blake’s used car business, Jess and I enjoyed trying to gang up on Bill,” Biddy said. “We never did do too good a job at it, but we always tried.”
Biddy was also impressed with the way Navarre and Sterling were friends, even though they both owned funeral homes.
“They had a comradery, not a competition,” Biddy said.
The pastor said his friend was someone who got along with everybody, never met a stranger and could handle any situation.
“In Proverbs Chapter 15, the Bible says ‘a soft answer turns away wrath,’” Biddy said. “Jess was a master at that. He was just someone who modeled what I would call Biblical meekness, which is strength under control.”
Put Navarre in an emotionally charged situation, like many grief situations can be by the mere nature of them, and it was like “the more difficult the situation, the more he could rise to the occasion to soothe and smooth things out.”
One of the greatest phone calls Biddy ever received was from Navarre.
“Jess called me one day just to say, ‘I’ve been wanting to let you know that I trusted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and savior, and I want to thank you for helping me get there,’” Biddy said. “I don’t know how in the world I helped him get there, but we would just always pray about things, but that was such a great phone call.”
And Navarre left his mark not only through his commitment to his community, but his devotion to his family.
“Jess’ family has been a ministering family to this entire community,” Biddy said. “So that spirit that he had, he has passed along to his family.”
And the countless friends Navarre made just by being there for people will no doubt be remembered.
“It’s a great loss,” Biddy said of Navarre’s death. “Men like him just don’t come along everyday.”