Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Cuffee, Linwood August 21, 1950
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Diane Renfrow dianel14@gmail.com August 4, 2014, 4:38 pm

Norfolk Journal and Guide,Saturday,Aug 26,1950
Norfolk -Linwood Cuffee, a 12-year old boy, disregarded the repeated warnings of
his aunt with the whom he lived at 330 Nicholson street, to stay away from the
surf unless accompanied by an older member of the family, and as a result, met
tragic death Monday afternoon.

The youth, a member of a crabbing and swimming party made up of playmates, was
drowned shortly before 1 o'clock at Pier S, Lamberts Point, while showing his
companions how to dive from a half-sunken boat. His funeral was scheduled to be
held Thursday at 1 p.m. at Hale's Funeral Chapel.

"Little did I know when I left for work Monday morning that I'd never again see
Linwood alive," lamented his grief stricken aunt, Miss Fletcher Parsons, who,
with her mother, Mrs. Mary Parsons, have had the care of the boy from his infancy.

"I often begged, and begged him not to do it-not to go into or near the water
unattended by a grown person," Miss Parsons mourned. She explained that Linwood
joined the party after she had left the house for work, and he himself had
prepared the breakfast for his ailing grandmother.

William Gray, 11, 739 Cumberland street, at the scene of the mishap, told police
what happened.

"He was teaching us how to dive," William, who was near tears, said. He dove
right out there," the youth continued, pointing.

"He came up for or five times waving his arms. He said his feet were stuck."

"We got a crabnet and tried to get him. We couldn't reach him. He kept coming up
and going down.

"Some men tried to get him but couldn't find him."

Willie Parham, 12, 518 Fenchurch street, and James Battle, 10, 137 Cumberland
street were the other boys in the group. They had crabbed for awhile, then taken
off their clothes. Cuffee, the boys said, could swim.

Police and firemen discount the boy's remark about his feet getting stuck,
because the water is about 15 feet deep where he went down. They are of the
opinion that the youth may have suffered a cramp in his legs.

Two patrolmen, D. E. Hobbs and C. J. Byrd boarded two boats, rowed by Bobby Earl
Harris, 936 West Olney road and Kenneth Waterman, 1440 West 48th street, and
used grappling hooks for about a half hour before the body was brought to the
surface by Hobbs.

Deputy Fire Chief W. R. McCullough, assisted by H. D. Algood and R. O. Sykes
attempted for about 20 minutes to revive the boy with a resuscitator, but in vain.

Homicide Investigator L. L. Jones pronounced the lad dead.

Additional Comments:
Calvary Cemetery

CUFFEE, LINWOOD 3271 Section A-J, Block F, Space 29 11 08/28/1950

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/norfolkcity/obits/c/cuffee5839gob.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/

File size: 3.1 Kb