HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 876 Offered February 8, 2007 Celebrating the life of Neal Ashworth. ---------- Patrons-- Hurt, Dudley and Marshall, D.W.; Senator: Hawkins ----------

WHEREAS, Neal Ashworth, a former member of the Chatham Town Council, died on September 18, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Neal Ashworth was born on January 22, 1931, in Danville, the son of the late Willie Henry and Hattie Cassada Ashworth; and

WHEREAS, Neal Ashworth attended Whitmell High School and then went on to Virginia Tech where he earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture in 1952 and a master's in education in 1957; he also served in the Army during the Korean War; and

WHEREAS, in 1959, Neal Ashworth moved to Chatham and began an exemplary career in the insurance business, retiring in 1993 after many successful years as an agent for State Farm Insurance; and

WHEREAS, ready for a different kind of challenge after retiring, Neal Ashworth served three terms on the Chatham Town Council from 1994 to 2000, serving as chairman of the fire department committee and as a member of the finance, water and sewer, and police committees; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his tenure on the Town Council, Neal Ashworth was active in his community through his membership in the Gideons, the Jaycees, and the Chatham Lions Club, which awarded him a pin for 31 years of membership in 2006, and he served on the board of directors of the Danville-Pittsylvania Mental Health Association; and

WHEREAS, a faithful member of Watson Memorial United Methodist Church, Neal Ashworth served the congregation as lay leader, treasurer, Sunday School teacher, and finance chairman; and

WHEREAS, Neal Ashworth will be fondly remembered and sorely missed by his devoted wife Maybelle and many other family members, friends, and supporters in Chatham; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a fine Virginian, Neal Ashworth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Neal Ashworth as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.