Nansemond County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries......Withers, J. Thornton, 1948 

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JOHN THORNTON WITHERS 

J. Thornton Withers Succumbs Here at 71 

  John Thorton Withers, 71, Suffolk business man and senior member of the firm 
of West and Withers Insurance Company, died this this morning at 12:20 at his 
home on Pinner Street after a short illness. 

  Funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon at 4 o'clock at the 
residence, with the Rev. John A. Winslow, pastor of St. Paul's Episcopal 
Church conducting.  Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery. 

  The son of the late Austin C. Withers and Missouri Taylor Riddick, Mr. 
Withers is survived by his wife, Mrs. Phoebe Jones Withers; four daughters, 
Mrs. Sarah Withers Shelly of Jacksonville, Fla., Mrs. Mary Taylor Withers 
Birdsong of Suffolk, Mrs. Doris Withers McNeil of Baltimore, and Mrs. Phoebe 
Withers Field of Portsmouth; one son, William Jones Withers of New York City; 
six grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews. 

  Mr. Withers was a communicant of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church, a vice 
president and chairman of the board of the Farmers Bank of Nansemond, and 
senior member of the insurance firm of West and Withers. 

  He received his early schooling in the public schools of Suffolk and at the 
Nansemond Seminary and the Suffolk Military Academy, later attending Virginia 
Polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg. 

  A veteran of the Spanish-American War, he served as a sergeant in Company F 
of the Suffolk contingent.  After the war he returned to Suffolk and entered 
the oyster and seafood business and was one of the organizers of the old 
Suffolk Shirt Factory. 

  In 1904 he entered the insurance field in Suffolk and in 1906 became a 
member of the firm of West and Withers in partnership with Col. Junius E. 
West.  In 1916 he became a director of the Farmers Bank of Nansemond.  Later 
he was made a vice president and in 1942 was elected chairman of the board. 

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John T. Withers

  Suffolk, Sept. 9 - John Thornton Withers, 71, Suffolk business man, died 
Thursday at his home here.  Funeral rites will be held at 4 p.m. Friday at the 
residence.  Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery here.  He was senior member 
of West and Withers insurance company here and was vice-president and chairman 
of the board of the Farmers Bank of Nansemond.  He was a graduate of Virginia 
Polytechnic Institute and a Spanish-American War veteran.  Surviving are his 
wife, Mrs. Phoebe Jones Withers; four daughters, Mrs. Sarah Withers Shelly of 
Jacksonville, Florida; Mrs. Mary Taylor Withers Birdsong, of Suffolk; Mrs. 
Doris Withers McNeil, of Baltimore, and Mrs. Phoebe Withers Field, of 
Portsmouth, and one son, William Jones Withers, of New York City. 

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Withers Funeral This Afternoon 

  Funeral services for John Thornton Withers, who died early yesterday morning 
at his home on Pinner Street after a short illness, are to be conducted this 
afternoon at the residence on Pinner Street.  The Rev. John A. Winslow, rector 
of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, will officiate. 

  Officers and directors of the Farmers Bank of Nansemond are to serve as 
honorary pallbearers.  Active pallbearers are to be Herbert Darden, Taylor 
Darden, C.M. Flintoff, Douglas Kincaid, R.L. Woodward, Withers Woolford, James 
L. McLemore, Jr., and William M. Birdsong. 

  Burial is to take place in Cedar Hill Cemetery. 

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Rites Held For Thornton Withers 

  Funeral services for J. Thomas [sic; Thornton] Withers, who died suddenly 
Thursday morning, were conducted at the residence on Pinner Street yesterday 
afternoon at 4 o'clock by the Rev. John Winslow, rector of St. Paul's 
Episcopal Church. 

  The casket was covered with a pall of mixed fall flowers.  Pallbearers were 
Herbert Darden, Taylor Darden, C.M. Flintoff, Douglas Kincaid, R.L. Woodward, 
Withers Woolford, James McLemore, Jr., William Birdsong, Roy Phillips. 
Honorary pallbearers were officers and directors of the Farmers Bank of 
Nansemond. 

  Interment took place in Cedar Hill Cemetery. 


John Thornton WITHERS, businessman, Spanish-American War veteran, 
b. 15 Jun 1877, Suffolk, d. 9 Sep 1948, at home, Suffolk, 
interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery (Block H, Lot 50*), Suffolk, 10 Sep 1948, 
"Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 25, No. 133, Thurs., Sep. 9, 1948, p. 1; 
"Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch," Fri., Sep. 10, 1948; 
"Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 25, No. 134, Fri., Sep. 10, 1948, p. 1; 
"Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 25, No. 135, Sat., Sep. 11, 1948, p. 3 

An obituary also appeared in the "Daily Press," Sep. 10, 1948. 

*Additional information: 

His parents are buried in Block E, Lot 28. 
   Cedar Hill list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical 
   Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/cedar_v.txt 

Photos of his gravestone & plot - added by Jake Dog - are posted with 
   Find a Grave Memorial #92805826. 

D.Cert. 20097 (Suffolk #279) 

His father was a Confederate veteran, having served as a courier for 
   Gen. "Stonewall" JACKSON. 

His mother's obit ("Virginian-Pilot & Norfolk Landmark," May 27, 1924, p. 12) 
   is posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/w362m1ob.txt 

His wife's obits ("Suffolk News-Herald," Aug. 3, 1964, p. 2, & donated) 
   are posted at: 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/w362p1ob.txt 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), 
and re-formatted by File Manager. 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/w362t1ob.txt