Sussex-Surry County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Whitmore, W. Grady Sr., 2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ WILLIAM "WILLIE" GRADY WHITMORE WAKEFIELD - W. Grady Whitmore, 97, a resident of Wakefield, died Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006. Born Feb. 7, 1909, in Surry County, he was the son of the late Joel Claude Whitley and Sala Branch Whitmore. He was a retired conductor with Norfolk and Western Railroad; a member of Rocky Hock United Methodist Church and Wakefield Masonic Lodge #198 AF&AM. Mr. Whitmore is survived by a brother, J. Claude "Boots" Whitmore of Wakefield; a daughter-in-law, Jane Dickerson Neithamer of Hayes; two grandsons, Jason and Ryan; and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his wife, Frances W. Whitmore; and a son, Bill Whitmore; two brothers, J. Braxton Whitmore and S. Aubrey Whitmore; and two sisters, Sue W. Jones and Elizabeth W. Harrison. Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, at Purviance Funeral Home, Wakefield. Interment will follow with Masonic Rites in Wakefield Cemetery, Wakefield, Va. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to Rocky Hock United Methodist Church, c/o Mabel Johnson, 1629 Aberdeen Road, Wakefield, VA 23888. Purviance Funeral Home, Wakefield, assisted the family with arrangements. ****************************************************************************** WILLIE GRADY WHITMORE W. Grady Whitmore, age 97, a resident of Wakefield died Saturday Nov. 18, 2006. Born on Feb. 7, 1909 in Surry County, he was the son of the late Joel Claude Whitmore and Sala Branch Whitmore. He was a retired conductor with Norfolk and Western Railroad, a member of Rocky Hock United Methodist Church and Wakefield Masonic Lodge #198 AF&AM. Mr. Whitmore is survived by a brother, J. Claude "Boots" Whitmore of Wakefield, a daughter-in-law, Jane Dickerson-Neithamer of Hayes and 2 grandsons, Jason and Ryan and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his wife Frances W. Whitmore and a son, Bill Whitmore, 2 brothers, J. Braxton Whitmore and S. Aubrey Whitmore, and 2 sisters Sue W. Jones and Elizabeth W. Harrison. Funeral services will be held at Purviance Funeral Home, Wakefield, on Monday, November 20. 2006 at 2:00 p.m. Interment with Masonic Rites will follow in Wakefield Cemetery, Wakefield, VA. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to Rocky Hock United Methodist Church, c/o Mabel Johnson, 1629 Aberdeen Rd., Wakefield, VA 23888. Purviance Funeral Home, Wakefield, assisted the family with arrangements. ****************************************************************************** DEDICATION OF THE ORGAN - IN MEMORY OF WILLIE GRADY WHITMORE WILLIE GRADY WHITMORE - 1909 - 2006 Grady Whitmore was raised in the Rocky Hock community on the farm where Boots Whitmore lives today. He lived here until he went to work for the railroad. He worked for the railroad for a while until he joined his brother S.A. Whitmore in business. Together they purchased the old Wakefield Farmer Produce Exchange, which later became Whitmore Brothers. After a while, Grady returned to the railroad and made it has career. It is not hard to picture Grady in his signature and ever-present railroad cap! Grady was a conductor on the passenger service of Norfolk and Western as well as a freight conductor. He worked with the railroad for 40+ years. Stationed in Crewe, Virginia, he worked from Petersburg to Bluefield, West Virginia, with the passenger run. He later changed to the freight run from Norfolk to Crewe, followed by the Petersburg to Hopewell run. Grady Whitmore married Frances E. Worrell and they were married for 66 years. They had one son, Willie Grady Whitmore, Jr. Grady and Frances were faithful members to their church, the Wakefield Baptist Church, but Grady never forgot Rocky Hock Church, the church of his childhood and youth. Rocky Hock United Methodist Church sincerely thanks Grady and is tremendously appreciative of his generous donation that allowed the purchase of the new organ and chimes in our sanctuary. They are a continual reminder of Grady Whitmore each and every Sunday morning! Thanks to S.A. Whitmore, Jr. ("Sam") for the information. "Willie" William Grady WHITMORE, Sr., retired N&W R.R. conductor, b. 7 Feb 1909, Surry Co., d. 18 Nov 2006, Suffolk, interred in Wakefield Cemetery*, 20 Nov 2006, "Daily Press" (Newport News, VA), Nov. 19, 2006, B-11; Purviance Funeral Home obit; Rocky Hock Church bulletin *Wakefield list, an extension of the Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/sussex/cemeteries/wakefd.txt A photo of his grave marker is posted with Find a Grave Memorial #127987461. His wife's obits ("Richmond Times-Dispatch," July 20, 2002, & Purviance Funeral Home) are posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/sussex/obits/w356f1ob.txt His parents, Joel Claude Sr. & Sala Thomas (BRANCH) WHITMORE & step-mother Nina G. (BRANCH) WHITMORE are buried in Rocky Hock Methodist Church Cemetery (Plot 43), Surry Co. Rocky Hock list, another extension of the SCHS Cemetery Project: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/cemeteries/rockyhk.txt Find a Grave Memorial #16714315 also gives Grady as buried there. His father's obit ("Daily Press," Oct. 7, 1965, p. 50) is posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/obits/w356j3ob.txt A memorial to his mother & the family is posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/obits/w356s2ob.txt His step-mother's obit ("Daily Press," May 28, 1986, D-4) & a memorial to her are posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/obits/w356n2ob.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/sussex/obits/w356g2ob.txt