My father, William Harold Near, of Chesterfield, Virginia, passed away peacefully on January 12, 2023 after a brief illness. He was 91.
Pedal steel guitar was a lifelong passion for Harold, an avid amateur player and arranger who was still playing and discussing new musical ideas until the end of his life.
He was not a forum member, but some people in the community may have known him. He subscribed to all the steel guitar magazines and newsletters and I would send him printouts from SGF from time to time. His favorite pedal steel guitar was a double neck BosSan that was custom made by Harold Spain. One of his longtime local friends was Don Fullmer, a forum member, who passed just last year.
Harold had a forty year career as a mechanic and machinist with the Virginia Army National Guard. He was also a skilled auto body technician and enjoyed restoring classic cars and creating metal sculpture.
He told me that as a youngster in the 1940s he first took steel guitar lessons from Otto Loving, from the Richmond Music School on West Main Street, who came through his Broad Rock neighborhood offering home lessons. He never stopped playing, learning, and loving music.
