Whitmel Earley Jr.

Whitmel F. Earley Jr. CHESAPEAKE - Whitmel Franklin "Frank" Earley Jr., 89, of the 1000 block of Saint Lawrence Drive, went home to be with the Lord Oct. 17, 2010 in a local hospital. A native of Bertie, N.C., he was the son of the late Adelia Elizabeth Barnard and Whitmel Franklin Earley Sr. He was a mechanical engineer at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth for 37 years. He was a member of Oaklette United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Men. He enjoyed deer hunting with the Triangle Hunt Club. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, having served in the South Pacific on the destroyer escort USS Lough. He is survived by his beloved wife, Ann M. Harris Earley; two sons, Mark Lawrence Earley and wife Cynthia of Leesburg, Va., and Franklin P. Earley and wife Susan of Virginia Beach; seven grandchildren, Matthew Earley of Virginia Beach, Rachael Earley Williamson and husband David of Virginia Beach, Justin Whitmel Earley and wife Lauren of Charlottesville, Va., Mark L. Earley Jr. and wife Mary Alice of Richmond, Va., Mary Catherine Earley of Charlottesville, Franklin Earley and Anne Harris, both of Leesburg; two great-grandchildren, Shea Earley and Henry Williamson, both of Virginia Beach. He was predeceased by his brother, John Pritchard Earley. A funeral will be conducted Friday at 11 a.m. in Oaklette United Methodist Church with the Rev. C. Eugene Meek and the Rev. Thomas L. Mercer Sr. officiating. The burial will follow in Riverside Memorial Park. The family will receive friends at Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Indian River Chapel, Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23325. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.hollomon-brown.com.