Obituary - Rouse Love Fleenor
Rouse Love Fleenor Rouse Love Fleenor, 86, of Bristol, Va., passed away on Monday, September 30, 2013, at NHC Health Care. He was born in Bristol, Va., March 12, 1927, and lived in Bristol all his life.
He was preceded in death by his parents Claude G. and Blenda Rock Fleenor; brother, Lee Fleenor; and sisters, Louise Hilliard, and Irene Gallagher. He was a sergeant in the U.S. Army at the Headquarters Detachment Quartermaster Training Center in Fort Lee, Va., and was honorably discharged in 1946. He attended King College but developed an almost fatal case of viral pneumonia. He was treated for several months at the VA Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn.
Later, he learned the banking field from the ground up, beginning as a teller at First National Bank in Bristol. He later worked at Dominion National Bank and then moved to Tri-City Bank, now known in Bristol as BB andT. He retired from the bank after 39 years as vice president and branch manager of the Volunteer Parkway location. During those years, he also held the positions of security officer and auditor while managing bank branches. Customers still recognized him as "their banker", even when he was in his eighties. He helped give many local businesses their start.
He was a member of Euclid Avenue Baptist Church where he met his future wife, Dorothy Ann Hutton, when they were teenagers. They were married in 1951.
Survivors include, his wife of 62 years, Dorothy H. Fleenor; his daughter and only child, D. Gail Fleenor, Bristol, Va.; his brother-in-law, Robert Hutton and wife, Katherine, Greensboro, N.C.; his sisters-in-law, Ann Fleenor, Bristol, Tenn., and Judith Brice, High Point, N.C.; as well as cousins, nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank the staff at NHC, in particular third floor, and Caris Hospice for their kindness and care. A memorial service will be held 8 p.m., Thursday, October 3, 2013. at the Weaver Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Gene Eller officiating. The family will receive friends from 6 until 7:45 p.m., prior to the service. The committal service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, October 4, 2013, at Shelby Hills Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Norman Fugate, Fred White, Tim Buchanan, Freddie Gallagher, Norman Cowan, Valen Miller, the Rev. Don Denton, Clifford Estep, Jim Fleenor, Jack Phelps, and Sam Ryburn. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Bristol Life Saving Crew, 1601 Euclid Ave, Bristol, VA 24201. Arrangements have been made with Weaver Funeral Home and Cremation Services.