Southampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Conwell, Neal W., 1987 

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NEAL CONWELL

DREWRYVILLE FIRE CHIEF KILLED IN AUTO ACCIDENT

   DREWRYVILLE - Drewryville’s fire chief, Neal Conwell died Thursday en route 
to help at a traffic accident.

   Thursday was his 13th wedding anniversary and he had just returned home 
from a dinner with his wife when Capron’s Rescue Squad was called to a traffic 
accident.

   Neal told his wife he was going up to get help out of Capron. Less than a 
mile from his house his car went off the road, flipped over and he died at the 
scene.

   Cause of the accident is under investigation.

   Conwell had been with the Drewryville Volunteer Fire Department for two 
years and chief for about 18 months.

   "I don’t care if it’s a little wooden shanty in the woods somewhere," 
Conwell said in an interview with The Tidewater News in October. "We respond 
to every fire like somebody’s life or their home is at stake.

   "If we find out it’s a little wooden shack out somewhere with no one 
inside, we still make every effort to protect the loss of property."

   "He was about the greatest thing that ever happened to the Drewryville fire 
department," said Brenda Whitman, a member of the department. "We depended on 
Neal. During the day he and I were the only members available to answer calls. 
He was into firefighting. He was a great fellow."

   Ms. Whitman said he had just completed his firefighter II course and passed 
it and even more recently gone out and purchased new equipment for the 
department.

   The accident that Conwell was headed for involved his supervisor at the 
Deerfield Correction Center in Capron. William C. Powell is a correctional 
sergeant at Deerfield and Conwell was a corrections officer. Both worked the 
midnight shift.

   Conwell had been in Deerfield since 1978.

   "He was a very conscientious officer here," said Kay Pope, spokesperson for 
the Deerfield Center.

   Firefighters from Drewryville, Emporia, Capron and Courtland as well as 
officers from the Deerfield Center are expected to attend the funeral 
scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Capron Cemetery.

   He is survived by his wife Teresa, two daughters, Kathryn, seven, and 
Kimberly six, a son, Christopher six, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. 
Conwell of Emporia and four brothers and four sisters.

   The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the 
Capron Rescue Squad or the Drewryville Volunteer Fire Department.

****************************************************************************** 

NEAL WEATHERS CONWELL

   BOYKINS - Neal Weathers Conwell, 34, of Route 1, a fire chief, died Jan. 8.

   Mr. Conwell, a native of North Carolina, was the chief of the Drewryville 
Volunteer Fire Department. He was member of Fountain Grove Baptist Church.

   Survivors include his wife, Teresa Taylor Conwell; two daughters, Kathryn 
H. Conwell and Kimberly A. Conwell; and a son, Christopher G. Conwell, all of 
Boykins; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. Conwell, Sr. of Emporia; four 
sisters, Elouise Stahl and Elizabeth Bowden, both of Richmond; Mildred Spiers 
of McKinney, Va. and Sheila Pair of Emporia; four brothers, Howard L. Conwell 
Jr. of Everett, Wash., Earl Conwell of Prattville, Ala., Wilson Conwell of 
Henry, Va., and Larry Conwell of Emporia.

   A graveside service was conducted Sunday in Capron by the Rev. Travis 
McCord. Memorial donations may be made to the Drewryville Volunteer Fire 
Department of Capron Rescue Squad.


Neal Weathers CONWELL, corrections officer & chief of Drewryville VFD, 
NC native, d. 8 Jan 1987, age 34, 
interred in Capron Cemetery*, 11 Jan 1987, 
article- "The Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Jan. 12, 1987, p. 1; 
obit- "The Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Jan. 15, 1987, p. 7A 

*Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project, 
   Capron list (C-8): 
   http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/capron.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/southampton/obits/c540n1ob.txt