William Ketchem Sr.

William Ketchem Sr. CHESAPEAKE - William Lee Ketchem Sr., 78, of the 1400 block of Stuben St., went to be with the Lord on Sept. 5, 2010, surrounded by his loving family. A native of Williamson, W.Va., he was the son of the late William McKinley and Mae Varney Ketchem. He was an Army veteran and retired as a conductor after more than 37 years of service with the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. He was a member of Southside Baptist Church, aka "The Tea Man." Surviving are his loving wife, Helen Burke Ketchem; two daughters, Hattie Angela Sowers and her husband David and Lucy Mae Ott, all of Chesapeake; three sons, William Lee Ketchem Jr. of Virginia Beach, James Richard Ketchem and his wife Karen DiDolci of Cumming, Ga., and Walter Dean Ketchem and his wife Barbara Jean of Suffolk; seven grandchildren, Stephanie Treat, Lindsay Ketchem, Jonathan Treat, Sara Ott, Phillip Treat, Ashley Nicole Ott and Mallory Jean Ketchem; one great-grandson, Seth; two sisters, Margarette Philmon of Tazewell, Va., and Joyce Ione Witkowski of Abingdon, Va.; two brothers, Charles Ketchem of White Marsh, Va., and Danny Ketchem of Phoenix, Ariz.; a half-sister, Sue Ketchem; and a half-brother, Dennis Ketchem of Statesville, N.C. A funeral will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Southside Baptist Church with the Rev. Terry Riddle officiating. Burial will be in Chesapeake Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends today from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Graham Funeral Home, 1112 Kempsville Road, Chesapeake, and at the residence at all other times. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Southside Baptist Church New Building Fund, 1207 Perry St., Chesapeake, VA 23324 or the American Cancer Society, 4416 Expressway Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23452. At www.grahamfuneralhome.com please light a candle and/or leave a note to the family in his "Book of Memories."