Joseph Harris Whitesell

JOSEPH H. WHITESELL STAUNTON, VA Joseph Harris Whitesell, 78, of Jollivue, went to be with his Lord on Saturday, March 23, 2013, at his residence. He was born August 11, 1934, in Augusta County, a son of the late Rufus Martin and Laura (Harris) Whitesell. Joe was a retired floor supervisor at GE/Genicom in Waynesboro and a U.S. Army veteran. He was a member of Bethel Presbyterian Church and the Jollivue Barterbrook Ruritan Club. He was avid gardener, bird hunter, and an accomplished ballroom dancer. Everyone who knew him enjoyed his brown sugar cured country hams. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Thomas Marshall Whitesell; three sisters, Helen W. Smith, Ethel L. Ambler, and Martha W. Brown; and a nephew, John K. Lunsford. Family members include a daughter and son-in-law, Angela Whitesell and Eric Moore; two grandsons, Kevin Blakely Moore and Kody Preston Moore; two great grandchildren, Callie and Nevaeh Moore; a brother and sister-in-law, Richard L. and Sue Whitesell; and a sister and brother-in-law, Sue Whitesell and Joe Lam. Additional surviving family members include two brothers-in-law, Pete Smith and W.D. Ambler; nieces, Carol, Beverly, and Leslie Smith, Laura V. Rinehart, Lynn Bowling, Sheila Lipton, Linda Yancey, Christine Rexrode, Lee Ann Whitesell, Cindy Almarode, and Jane Brown Warren; nephews, Eric D. Whitesell, Rufus Brown, Derek Lam, and Travis Lam; special great nephews, Thomas Ryan Whitesell and Michael Rinehart; and other great nieces and nephews; and special friends, Richard Kirkland, Dwan Showalter, Mary Bowman, and Shirley Martin. The family expresses their deep appreciation to Dr. William Jones, Dr. Bruce Robinson, Sentara Hospice, and Care Advantage. A funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 28, 2013, in the Henry Funeral Home Chapel by the Rev. Henry Johnson, pastor of the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Tazewell, VA. Burial will follow at Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be John Howell, Richard Kirkland, Rufus Brown, Kenneth Laporte, Fred Bowers, and Michael Rinehart. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Jollivue Barterbrook Ruritan Club. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, 2013 in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery Fund or to the Jollivue Barterbrook Ruritan Club.