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Henry G. 'Grady' Withers Salisbury, NC QCWA # 13654 |
The funeral will be Friday for Henry "Grady" Withers Jr., 74, Salisbury, who died Tuesday (June 25, 2002) at Magnolia Gardens, Spencer, after two months of declining health.
Born Jan 25, 1928, in Salisbury, Mr Withers, a son of the late Henry Grady and Myrtle Barringer Withers, was educated in the Spencer schools. In 1954, he graduated from Catawba College with a degree in chemistry.
He served in the US Army for two years and with the Army Reserve Corp for five years. He taught school in Rowan County for two years and was employed by Burlington Industry. In 1994, he retired from Chem-Marc Inc.
Mr Withers was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Ham Radio Club, Astronomy Club and the Quarter Century Wireless Association.
His wife, Phyllis Agner Withers, died Nov 17, 1993.
Survivors include sister Rebecca Withers Harper, Spencer.
Services: Mass of Christian Burial, 11 am Friday, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, conducted by the Rev. Joseph Long Dinh and the Rev. Thomas P.Clements. Burial, Rowan Memorial Park.
Visitation: Prayer service at Summersett Funeral Home, 7 pm, Thursday, followed by visitation until 8.
Memorials: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 128 N. Fulton St., Salisbury, NC 28144.
(Source: SalisburyPost.com, June 27, 2002)
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Grady Withers K4BEC/SK Died in June of 2002 at the Magnolia Gardens Retirement Center in Spencer, NC after a long battle with Cancer. Grady was a respected and accomplished chemist by trade, and was a senior partner in a Chemical Company out of NJ.
I met Grady at a meeting of the Astronomical Society of Rowan County in 1981 and we soon became best of friends, sharing interests in astronomy, radio, electronics, chemistry and science in general. He had an observatory in his backyard and we spent many hours scanning the universe for faint fuzzies with his many telescopes.
One night I asked what the antenna tower planted next to his observatory was used for (since it was blocking our view of the sky), Grady took me inside to his "shack" and introduced me to "Ham Radio" and then he became my Elmer. He took me to the meetings of the Rowan Amateur Radio Society and encouraged me to "Get My Ticket!". It took me a long time to accomplish that task because I was determined (and so was he) that I was going to learn the Morse Code. Unfortunately I was never able to get the code, but eventually with his advice and under the premise that we could practice on the air, I gave in and got my no-code tech license at the Shelby Hamfest in 97'.
There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him, and he will be dearly missed, not only by me but by anyone that was fortunate enough to have known him.
73
Herb KF4TVI
(Source: www.foxtango.org)
