Leithan O. 'L.O.' Grinnell Iii

Leithan O. Grinnell III, L.O., unexpectedly passed away February 16th, 2013. He was born on April 8th, 1960 to Doris and L.O. Grinnell, Jr. in Wytheville, Virginia. He is survived by his best friend and wife of 29 years, Lisa Phelps Grinnell and the loves of his life, daughters Rachel Grinnell and Katherine Grinnell. Also surviving are his father L.O. Grinnell, Jr., sister and brother-in-law Deanna and Ronnie Sheppard, sister and brother-in-law Felica and Raymond Huff, brother and sister-in-law Sean and Emily Grinnell, mother-in-law and father-in-law Rosamond and Joe Phelps, all of Salem; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Dennis and Wendy Phelps of Greensboro, N.C., and many nieces and nephews. He will be missed by his much beloved dog Jack who is still waiting for the truck to drive up. We would like thank special friends Tim Prillaman and Zach Duncan, you are like sons. He was preceded in death by his mother Doris Grinnell. Leithan treasured his family and had a great appreciation for the outdoors. He loved kayaking and hiking with his wife and daughters. As a family, they enjoyed many family vacations together, his favorite of which was the Grand Canyon. He was always willing to do anything to please his wife and his girls. He enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting, bbq competitions, playing music, kayaking trips, and overnight treks, many of which he shared with longtime friends; Mark Dillion, Greg Poff, Tim Long and Jeff Lawrence. He was a talented man who could fix anything and carry out any home improvement project he and his wife could dream up. He loved Virginia Tech football and attended many games with his father over the years. Leithan began his career at Norfolk Southern in 1979. He was a very dedicated and hard-working employee who set a great example of work ethic for his children. He developed dozens of close friendships with men he respected and genuinely enjoyed working with daily. He considered you family. He was looking forward to retirement in just a few short years. While he loved all of his coworkers we would like to recognize his work partner and longtime friend Stuart Kessler of Roanoke, one of the nicest guys he ever knew. Our family cant end this chapter of our life without extending appreciation to many. We would like to thank the staff at MCV in Richmond, Virginia whose care and compassion was greatly appreciated and is the ultimate example of quality care. We would like to extend a very special thanks and much love, to family friend Dr. Christopher Winter of Charlottesville. Thank you for making yourself available around the clock. To our many friends from near and far, NS coworkers, Glenvar community, Troutville Elementary family, and neighbors, we love you all. If prayers could have brought Leithan home he would be sitting here with us today. Leithan, you were the best father, husband, brother and friend. Your loss is beyond comprehension. We will miss your laughter. We love you and will miss you until we meet again. A period of visitation will be held on Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the John M. Oakey & Son Chapel in Salem. A funeral service will be held on Friday, February 22, 2013 at 11 a.m. in the funeral home chapel. The Rev. Leonard Southern will officiate. Interment will follow at Sherwood Memorial Park. An online guestbook is available for family and friends by visiting www.johnmoakey.com. The Grinnell family is being served by John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home in Salem, 540-389-5441.