Oney Joseph NAIFEH

Oney
May 5, 1907 - January 20, 2000

Adele
September 27, 1910 - December 13, 1991

Parents of Joe, Jimmy, Johnny

Oney Joseph Naifeh, a Covington merchant known throughout West Tennessee, died Thursday. He was 92. A child immigrant from the country of Lebanon, Mr. Naifeh was a successful businessman, devoted family man and host of a popular annual political picnic in Covington known as the Naifeh Coon Supper. His son, Jimmy Naifeh, is the speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Mr. Naifeh died of heart failure early Thursday at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton. Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Covington, with burial at R. H. Munford Cemetery. Visitation is set for 5 to 8 p.m. today at Maley-Yarbrough Funeral Home in Covington. Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), who knew Mr. Naifeh and his family for almost 30 years, said Mr. Naifeh was "truly the epitome of the American dream, coming here as a young boy and making a success in business." Born in Lebanon in 1907, Mr. Naifeh came to the United States with his brother when he was 10 to join their father, Joseph S. Naifeh. The elder Naifeh had moved to America a few years earlier. Oney Naifeh's mother, Sayoud Naifeh, died in Lebanon before he moved. After arriving at Ellis Island in New York, Joseph Naifeh traveled south by train and stopped in Fulton, Ky., where he began peddling house wares. He settled in Covington, the county seat of Tipton County, about 40 miles northeast of Memphis, and in 1910 opened a grocery on the east side of the courthouse square. Oney Naifeh went to work there after completing five school grades in two years. He later graduated from Memphis Business College and assumed responsibility for the grocery. Mr. Naifeh grew the grocery business and other ventures. Today, one of his three sons, Joseph Naifeh, manages the Naifeh Food Rite supermarket on U.S. 51, where Mr. Naifeh often maintained a cheery presence in the cereal aisle. In Covington, he was known simply as "Mr. Oney." Theodore 'Tim' Sloan, chairman of First State Bank of Covington, said Mr. Naifeh served on the bank's board of directors for more than four decades. Both men were members of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church. "He never met a stranger," Sloan said. "He always remembered people's names and faces. Even at 92, he would stand out there in his son's store. He's one of our icons." Dr. L.D. Elliston said Mr. Naifeh's family lived two doors down from his home on Maple Street as their children grew up. Elliston, 85, retired as a physician in 1996 but still works as a county medical examiner. "Everybody loved Oney Naifeh," Elliston said. "Everybody knew him. He's been progressive." An Army veteran of World War II, Mr. Naifeh was a strong supporter of veterans groups and was a member of the American Legion and Tipton County Veterans Association. He helped raise funds for the Tipton County Museum, Veterans Memorial & Nature Center that opened in 1998. "He had a deep and abiding love for this country and for the sacrifices that veterans and their families had made that contribute to our freedoms," Tanner said. Mr. Naifeh was active in civic groups, including the Lions Club and the Jesters. He was a Shriner and a founding board member of the Covington Country Club. In 1951-67, Mr. Naifeh served on the Covington Board of Aldermen. Since 1945, the Naifeh Coon Supper, named for the meat served up at the annual picnic, has grown into a political tradition drawing influential people to Covington. "It became a cause celebrate in West Tennessee in the spring for people who were interested in the public life of West Tennessee," Tanner said. In addition to having a son who is speaker of the House, Mr. Naifeh had political influence of his own. "He knew everybody," Tanner said. "He made it his business to be nice to people and to help people, and consequently over time developed a following that was based on mutual respect and admiration." State Rep. Matt Kisber (D-Jackson) said Mr. Naifeh "set a standard of community service and civic responsibility that is second to none. He not only will be missed by the Naifeh family but the whole Covington community." Rep. Lois DeBerry (D-Memphis), the speaker pro tem of the House, said Mr. Naifeh was an institution in his community. "He was a people person. He was a compassionate person. And most of all, he was the best politician that I ever knew." "Mr. Oney always had a helping hand for people when they needed it," said Jere Hadley, recorder-treasurer of the City of Covington. Hadley sold newspapers to Mr. Naifeh as a boy and said the grocer never lost his Lebanese accent. It was not a problem in the small West Tennessee town. Rep. Don Ridgeway (D-Paris) said Mr. Oney was the basis of his son's political success. "At the Coon Suppers, you'd see the highest officials in the land and the poorest folk in Tipton County all rubbing elbows. And he was loved - all sorts of people would tell you how Mr. Oney gave them credit at the grocery store so their families could eat." Rep. Randy Rinks (D-Savannah) recalled that even after Oney Naifeh's health began to fail, Jimmy Naifeh would complain that "they couldn't keep Dad in the house." In December, Mr. Oney's sons had to insist that he not ride in the annual Shriners Christmas Parade, as was his custom. Mr. Naifeh's wife, Adele Hamra Naifeh, died in 1991 at the age of 81. In addition to Jimmy and Joe Naifeh, Mr. Naifeh leaves a third son, Johnny Naifeh, also of Covington, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and St. Matthew's Episcopal Church.

Contributed on 8/4/20 by debbraszymanski
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Record #: 198139

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