WILLIAMSBURG - David Corbin Harmon, 76, of Williamsburg, VA, passed away on July 17, 2016, after a lengthy illness. Dave was born in Anderson, IN on May 12, 1940, to I. Don and Martha (Guest) Harmon. He graduated from Purdue University in Lafayette, IN, with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Agronomy in 1962. Dave started his career as a golf course construction supt. in Escondido, CA working for architect Jack Snyder of AZ. He then moved to Suffolk, VA to construct Cedar Point Golf Club, where he stayed on as the Golf Course Supt. for seven years. In 1970, he and his family moved to Williamsburg, VA to be Director of Recreational Activities for Colonial Williamsburg and GCS of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. He was there for 21 years. He ended his career working for the City of Newport News as both GCS and Landscape Consultant, retiring in 2008. Dave was the winner of the 2012 Virginia Golf Course Supt. Assoc. President's Award for Lifetime Service. He was a GCSAA member for 51 years. He won the Leo Feser Award for writing Editorials for the Golf Course Management magazine. He was a founder of the Old Dominion GCSA. He is survived by his wife of 53 ½ years, Mary (Linenburger) Harmon, two children: daughter, Karla Donn Finkenauer (Peter) and son, David Jeffery Harmon (Noelle); five grandchildren, Courtney and Blake Finkenauer and Corbin, Noah, and Katie Harmon; sister, Sue Handley, her three daughters and their families. Dave enjoyed his church family at Wellspring United Methodist Church, camping with First Virginia Good Sam, and traveling. A memorial Service will be held on August 6, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Road, Williamsburg, VA with Rev. Edward A. Hopkins officiating. The service will be followed by a visitation and celebration of life. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.nelsencares.com.

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Published by Daily Press on Jul. 24, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for David Harmon

Sponsored by Nelsen Funeral Home - Williamsburg.

13 Entries

David Short

August 24, 2022

Mr. Harmon crossed my mind today and I looked him up only to see that he passed several years ago so my note is way past due. I send along condolences to his family of course and hopefully perhaps a memory, albeit very tardy in doing so. I worked at The Golden Horseshoe on the maintenance crew as a young lad growing up in CW. Mr. Harmon and Mr. Stewart, his second in command were tough taskmasters, but they never had you do anything they couldn't or wouldn't do themselves and were fair men who put in a hard days work and expected everyone around them to do the same. But the more lasting memories of Mr. Harmon I still recall today were other things like the cleanliness of all the equipment, of the shops, and of the entire facility. And the work ethic he both exhibited and expected. When it rained, you weren't off, you filed blades on mowers, put a coat of paint on a piece of equipment or the facility itself, or swept and cleaned again, every nook and cranny. You could perform surgery on any surface in the place. It was tight, really tight, and there was only one way to do things, the right way. No excuses. Nothing was ever put away uncleaned, no uniform was ever dirty or off brand. Safety posters were everywhere and men were encouraged to grow and learn all the time. A groundsman like me had a yellow hard hat, another level up had a blue hat but could take down a tree, run almost all the equipment and the like, a red hat could do all of the above but had advanced agronomics added in along with a host of other skills, and finally after years you could be a white hat like Mr. Harmon and run your own shop and course one day. It was several years to work yourself through those different colored hard hats and while their main function was safety, they also provided to each man a visual reminder everyday that if they wanted to integrate vertically into greater levels of accomplishment, tenure and skill, they need only dig in right where they were and it was available to them. My second year I moved from carts maintenance and delivery to the golf shop out to the course where I did all 67 bunkers everyday but Thursday when I would mow a strip around all rim of each so that that 16 inch strip of grass would be lower than the rest around it and the bunker would stand out a bit more. It was a cool look I've never seen anywhere else since. In driving the equipment inside the bunker itself the trick was to smooth it all out, make sure it was uniform depth, which often after a heavy rain meant moving a lot of sand from low to high with a manually lowered iron "pusher" bolted onto the front of the machinery. After you got it just so, also bolted on the machine was a long handled stiff tooth rake to walk the outside edges and pull back from inside edges of the bunker towards the lip all the way around a one foot strip of teeth marks. If you didn't because the machine couldn't reach those areas, the job wouldn't be competed correctly, but when it was done right, the bunkers were terrific and something I was proud of. He taught me that, I learned from him. One late summer day before I headed back to school I was on #14 and a foursome of Members played through. All Members I knew, all local business titans. #14 was about the last of my daily route and it was after a rainy night the night before and the bunkers were just the right consistency to be molded perfectly. I turned off the machine as they played through, something else he taught me, and after playing through, one of the Members, an accomplished and well travelled amateur player, stopped 50 yards away as they left, got out of the cart and yelled "Hey David?" "Yes Sir" I said. "We've got the greatest bunkers in the state of Virginia!" And then I got it. All that attention to detail, all that, (at least to a cocky young teenager), "busywork" and why do it this way kind of stuff, made sense now. And I felt it. And I have felt it ever since. What I didn't understand at first, I finally did that late summer afternoon standing in that bunker.

Now as I just turned 60 and have raised three accomplished daughters, have been somewhat successful myself along the way, I thought of Mr. Harmon and the lessons I drew from him that have helped me in my life ever since those summers under his command. I am hopeful perhaps that even though woefully late, his family might see this and appreciate the impact he had on me, my career, and my family. Thanks Coach.

Kim Dare

August 3, 2016

So many wonderful memories of time spent at 404 South England Street with Mama Mary and Daddy Dave. Love to you all. -- Kim

August 1, 2016

Mary, so sorry about Dave's passing. He was a very nice man and I know you will miss him so much. You and your family are in my prayers. Margarette Lynch

July 31, 2016

My deepest condolences. May God's Holy Spirit be with the family. I pray that he brings comfort to you all at this hard time.

Margie Gill

July 30, 2016

Mary, so sorry about Dave's passing. Both Harold, my husband and I remember you both so well when you were living opposite the CW Golf Club. We were at your home many years ago and so enjoyed your friendship. May God Bless and keep you and your family during this difficult time.

Carolyn Talbert

July 25, 2016

I worked with Dave at the City of Newport News. He was my "turf guru." He maintained a wealth of green industry knowledge without having to research it. Our heartfelt condolences are sent to the Harmon family.

Chris Wirt

July 25, 2016

I did not know Dave well, but I worked with him at the City of Newport News for several years. I can say that if it was green and you wanted it to grow, Dave was the go-to guy. My thoughts and prayers are with the Harmon family in this difficult time.

Ken Giedd

July 24, 2016

Dear Mary and Children,
You can be very proud of Dave. He was well thought of and highly respected throughout his career, and I have no doubt that this extended into the other areas of his life as well. I have fond memories helping him establish the Old Dominion GCSA back in the 70s, and envied his ability to organize and manage all that he did. He was so avid about the game of golf. I can still see him stationed beside the 17th green at Kingsmill during the tournament every year, collecting signatures from the pros. After he left the Shoe, and I left the Mill, we never seemed to get together too much, and I was saddened to hear of his early passing. He will be remembered and missed by those of us who knew him. May God grant you peace and comfort, and unfading memories.

Dot & Dave Fisher

July 24, 2016

Mary, Our sincere condolences to you and your family. May your special memories of your years together ease the pain of your loss. God bless you all.

July 23, 2016

Dear Mary and Family, So sorry to get this sad news this morning. I worked for Dave back in the seventies as a Tennis Pro at the Williamsburg Inn. He was one of the best bosses I ever had and he made the golf course and everything connected with it really shine. They won award after award and the whole place was really special. I once gave a tennis lesson to Linwood Holton, former Virginia governor and his wife. Their daughter Anne Holton Kaine later became a juvenile court judge and is married to Tim Kaine also a former Virginia governor and Vice Presidential hopeful. There were a lot famous people who came to the Williamsburg Inn and I think you could say Dave's hard work in making the place so attractive had big part in their decision. We're going to miss him. Jeff Fairbanks

July 22, 2016

Dear Mary and family my prayers go out to you on Dave was so bless to know him and to come visit him at nursing home and so bless that the Sewing group made him some bibs with camping on he will alway be in my heart and enjoy talking to him and bringing him snacks he was such a blessing to know and I will miss him

Love katie

Ken and Pat Clark

July 22, 2016

Dear Mary and family: our deepest sympathy for the loss of your dear Dave. It was always such a pleasure to see you and Dave at church. God grant you comfort.

Linda Swank

July 22, 2016

My name is Linda Bauner Swank. I grew up on the Edgewood Country Club Golf Course with Dave and his parents, Don and Martha. My big brother, Jerry Bauner, also a PU graduate, worked on the golf course with Dave. I have many fond memories of Dave and his family and I am sorry for your loss. Dave and John Mills were like brothers to me when I was growing up.....I even wrote to them when they went off to PU. I missed seeing them at the ECC. I was happy to read about Dave and his life accomplishments. RIP Dave and thanks for the memories.

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