LAKE WORTH, Fla. — Timothy Allen Nash, 47, son of Barbara and Ray Nash of Bluefield, Va., passed away after a short illness at his home in Lake Worth, Fla., on Wednesday, April 23rd. Tim lived the first 24 years of his life in Bluefield. His family, friends, schools, and community helped shape him into the exceptional man he became. Tim was born August 8, 1960. His sister Terri (wife of Charlie Cole) remembers a brother who was creative and loved the outdoors. This interest led him to the Boy Scouts where he became an Eagle Scout and was inducted into Order of the Arrow. To earn these awards he spent time alone in the woods, learning to survive on what nature provided. His family remembers a young man who loved learning for learning’s sake. He read encyclopedias, even taking them to school to read between classes. In school his drama, art, and music talents emerged. At Graham High School he starred in a Virginia state winning contest play. He also worked in a production with the Summit Players. His classmates voted him Most Talented and Best Actor. For art lessons he turned to Jill Pritchett, a local artist. It was a talent he practiced the rest of his life. He played guitar, later designing and making his own instrument. After graduation from GHS, Tim went to Southwest Virginia Community College where he graduated with a degree in Electronics. After graduation, he traded the mountains that had molded his youth for the ocean which shaped the man.In Florida he lived with his uncle Jack Nash and his children, Jackie, Pam, and Gail, while working for Larry Smith Electronics, installing autopilot systems on ships and yachts. Later he enrolled at Florida Atlantic University where he earned a degree in Communications. At FAU he met Carole Anne Sisto, a special education teacher, whom he married October 16,1987. They were soul mates who devoted themselves to each other for the 20 years they were married. Both liked to read, travel, and watch old movies. Their travels took them around the United States and frequently to Germany and France. Tim wrote an article about European castles while his love of Impressionist painters inspired him to paint people and landscapes of the French countryside. He put into a shadow box simple things such as bus transfers and matchboxes gathered on his travels and used the display as a coffee table top. Kitchen cabinet handles were spoons he and Carole found in Europe. Their home was a showcase of his talent and continuous creative projects. The kitchen floor became a canvas for a mosaic tile design. He turned the Florida room into an art studio where he made his guitar. Here he created his commissioned projects such as portraits and architectural and ship models. Tim’s deep interest in World War II helped him recreate warplanes for veterans.His Bluefield family members were recipients of his creative spirit. To Terri and Charlie Cole, he sent wind chimes made of sea glass he collected along the beach. To their sons and his nephews — Chaz, Will, Cameron, and Christian — he sent a clock made from a CD. His parents have a collection of his paintings in oil, pastels, and watercolor.Art was also part of his career. At Planned Parenthood of the Palm Beach Area, Inc., he designed and created brochures and counseled children at risk and the community about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. For his work in the community, Tim was honored as an Outstanding Young American in 1991. The last few years, he was employed at Norton Art Museum in West Palm Beach in the accounting department. Henry David Thoreau wrote words that describe Timothy Allen Nash best: “He hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears.” From his boyhood in Bluefield to his life with Carole in Florida, Tim lived those words. He loved the casual life and creating art out of nature and simple manmade objects. His idea of relaxation was to lie with his wife on a noodle for hours in the warm August ocean water. On April 23rd, this unique man left the people he loved and who loved him, but he also left behind for them a wealth of personal objects and memories. Besides his wife and his Bluefield family, he will be missed by an extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws. Carole Nash will hold a celebration of her late husband’s life in Lake Worth, Fla., on May 31st, an anniversary of the day they met. Barbara and Ray Nash and Terri and Charlie Cole and their sons will hold a memorial service to remember Timothy Allen Nash at the overlook shelter atop East River Mountain on Saturday, May 1Oth at 11:00 a.m. The family is accepting donations for the Timothy Allen Nash Memorial Fund. Donations can be sent and made out to Virginia Avenue United Methodist Church; 1901 Virginia Avenue; Bluefield, VA 24605. To leave personal condolences online, visit www.legacy.com