Henry Howze Harrell

HARRELL, Henry Howze, died May 30, 2023, at age 83. He was predeceased by his parents, Theron Rice Harrell and Susan Haskell Harrell. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jean Camp Harrell; his daughters, Hampton Harrell Ford (Mike) of Richmond, Virginia, and Shelby Harrell Geyer (Rory), also of Richmond; his four grandchildren, Lila Ford, Carter Ford, Mary Geyer, and Theron Geyer; and his sister, Anne Harrell Bristow.

Mr. Harrell, as he was known by his grandchildren, was born in Richmond, Virginia, but spent the vast majority of his life in Goochland County. He graduated from St. Christopher's School and summa cum laude from Washington and Lee University. In his first year at W&L, he was named the "Outstanding Freshman." He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, the Sazeracs singing group, Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Kappa, and was vice president of the student body. In 1959, he was fortunate to be awarded an English-Speaking Union scholarship for summer study at the University of London.

Following a brief teaching stint at Graham Eckes School in Palm Beach, Florida, Mr. Harrell served four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy with tours of duty on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid and at the Naval Air Facility in the Azores. After his release from active duty and a six month sojourn in Lisbon, Portugal, he joined Universal Leaf Tobacco Company in 1966.

In 1970, he married his beloved wife, the former Jean Covington Camp. His career at Universal involved sales and international operational responsibilities, and he served as Chief Executive Officer for fourteen years prior to his retirement in 2002, and as Chairman of the Board for twelve years.

Mr. Harrell was a member of The Bank of Goochland Board of Directors, then that of Southern Bank, and finally Jefferson National Bank. He was a board member of the Richmond S.P.C.A. for over twenty years, and served for a similar period of time on the board of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, which he chaired twice. He also served on the James Madison University Board of Visitors for eight years and was Rector for two of those years. He was a member of The Virginia Business Council, which he chaired for two years. He also co-chaired, with Governor Warner, the Partnership to Achieve Successful Schools in Virginia, and with Governor Allen, Communities in Schools of Virginia (for three years each).

In addition to his lifelong interest in education, he loved singing, fishing, reading, gardening, golf, and music. Far more, he loved his family. He is terribly missed.

A memorial service will be held at St. Mary's Episcopal Church on Monday, June 5, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Richmond S.P.C.A. or Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.