Obituary of Hunter Widener

MARION, VIRGINIA: HUNTER FELIX WIDENER, age 101, died Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at Valley Health Care Center in Chilhowie, Virginia. He was a former resident of the Adwolfe Community, Marion, Virginia. Mr. Widener was a Damascus, Virginia (Washington County) native; the son of the late William C. and Sarah (DeBusk) Widener. He was employed for many years by Abingdon, Virginia, Wholesale Grocery Company. In 1948 he moved to Marion, where he served as Assistant Manager and Sales Representative for the Economy Wholesale Grocery Company. In his boyhood he developed a love for the farm and later bought and operated farms in both Washington and Smyth Counties. Following retirement in 1972 from Southwestern State Hospital in Marion, Mr. Widener owned and managed the H & R Block Income Tax Service. For more than ten years, he served as a volunteer with the local Hospice Center and as a Court Appointed Guardian for indisposed citizens of Smyth and Washington Counties. Among the citations and awards received for this voluntary service were: "Governor of Virginia's Award for Volunteering Excellence," several County recognitions as "Volunteer of the Year," and an April 6, 1990 feature article in "The Roanoke Times." Mr. Widener was a former member of the Rock Springs Presbyterian Church, in Lodi, Virginia; the Marion Rotary Club, and the Marion Chamber of Commerce. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of sixty years, Margaret Williams Widener; a daughter, Doris; and a son, Dr. Herbert Lloyd; three sisters and three brothers. Hunter is survived by three daughters: Patricia (Mrs. Wayne Cummings) of Johnson City, Tennessee; Violet Williamson of Seneca, South Carolina; Jean (Mrs. Hollis Hope) of Lawrenceville, Georgia; seven grandchildren; fifteen great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. A Service of Worship, celebrating and honoring the life and memory of Mr. Widener will be held in the Chapel of the Seaver-Brown Funeral Home, Marion, Virginia at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 7, 2011. The service will be conducted by The Reverend Dr. Wayne Cummings. Preceding the service, family members will receive friends and acquaintances beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Funeral Home. The Committal Service will be held at Knollkreg Cemetery, Abingdon, Virginia, following the Marion Service of Worship. Memorial gifts may be made to Emory & Henry College, The Herbert Lloyd Widener Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 947, Emory, Virginia 24327 or to Holston United Methodist Home for Children, P.O. Box 188, Greenville, Tennessee 37744. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the family at www.seaverbrown.com. Seaver-Brown Funeral Service and Crematory is serving the Widener Family.