Howard Carson Chitwood passed away on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.  He was born in Sylvatus, Virginia on March 25, 1927.

During his school years, he worked with his father, Howard, and mother, Ethel, in the retail grocery business.  Nearing 18 years of age, he enlisted in the Merchant Marines and subsequently received an honorable discharge from the US Coast Guard.  Ironically, he graduated from Hillsville High School only after serving 1945-47 in the Merchant Marines.  In 1949, his nuclear family operated and twice constructed the Skyview Drive-In Theater in Marion, VA.  He was also an early employee of Mountain CAP and Virginia Highlands Community College.  He retired from the Virginia Employment Commission.

When the Korean War began, Howard was drafted in the first group from Carroll County, Virginia.  While serving in the Army from 1950 – 1952, he met his wife, Nora Jane Allen, daughter of Col. Ray and Lenora Allen, of Marshall, TX.  Jane passed away at the age of 86 in Longview, TX, with Howard by her side.  He will be interred with Jane in Marshall, Texas at the Colonial Gardens Mausoleum.

Jane's mother referred to Jane as the "Rock of Gibraltar".  Howard was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Jane, who he confirmed was the glue that held their family together; one daughter, Susan, who died in 1979; and a sister, Frieda Surratt.  He is survived by two sons, Ray (Cindy), of Longview, TX, and Joe (Regina), of Blountville, TN; as well as one granddaughter, Kasey, of Asheville, NC and a sister, Ethel Marie Branscome of Hillsville, VA.

Tennyson wrote, "I am a part of all that I have met."  Howard was always grateful to his family who were influential in shaping him into the man he became, but there were many others.  There were many friends to whom he often referenced as mentors and appreciated for the influence they played in his life.  Those most often mentioned were Dr. Donald Puyear, Dr. Carl E. Stark, and Tate C. Buchanan.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Hillsville Christian Church at 2:00 PM with Rev. Monika Hunter officiating.  The family will receive friends at the Hillsville Christian Church on Saturday from 1:00 until 2:00 PM prior to the funeral service. Entombment will follow in the Colonial Gardens Mausoleum in Marshall, TX at a later date.  Vaughan-Guynn-McGrady Chapel is serving the family.