Obituary for Joe Garnet Whitley, Jr.
Joe Garnet “Jody” Whitley, Jr., of Emporia, VA passed away on March 1, 2020, after a short illness.
He was born in Page, VA., on July 11, 1949 to the late Joe Garnet and Julia Wallace Whitley, Sr. He was preceded in death by his sister, Irene “Pat” Whitley Pearson. He is survived by his sister, Brenda Whitley Klassen of Placentia, California; nephew Martin (Ari) Klassen and niece, Michelle Klassen (T.R.) Lind; his brother, Reese J. (Bonnie) Whitley of Bedford, VA.; nephew Reinor Jay (Patricia) Whitley of Brambleton, Virginia and niece Jennifer Whitley (Rob) McCarthy of Tampa, Florida.
Jody graduated from Garden High School in 1967, and attended two years of Diesel Mechanic School in Abingdon, VA. He spent the majority of his working years in Ford-Mercury-Lincoln dealerships and heavy duty truck and earth moving equipment dealers.
While he described himself as “Just an auto mechanic”, Jody, throughout his life, loved building engines for professional race cars. He enjoyed years of friendship with people involved in NASCAR racing. As a hobby, he enjoyed rebuilding old cars to the point where they appeared to have just rolled off the assembly line. His favorite “rebuild” was a 1967 Mustang “Boss” model, painted candy apple red and white. When something broke around the house, be it a lawn mower, the washing machine, a stove, or even a watch, Jody could fix it. He also enjoyed reading and spending time with “Fuzz”, his cat.
In keeping with Jody’s wishes, there will be no funeral services. There will be a private family burial service later at the family burial site in Bluefield, VA.
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He was born in Page, VA., on July 11, 1949 to the late Joe Garnet and Julia Wallace Whitley, Sr. He was preceded in death by his sister, Irene “Pat” Whitley Pearson. He is survived by his sister, Brenda Whitley Klassen of Placentia, California; nephew Martin (Ari) Klassen and niece, Michelle Klassen (T.R.) Lind; his brother, Reese J. (Bonnie) Whitley of Bedford, VA.; nephew Reinor Jay (Patricia) Whitley of Brambleton, Virginia and niece Jennifer Whitley (Rob) McCarthy of Tampa, Florida.
Jody graduated from Garden High School in 1967, and attended two years of Diesel Mechanic School in Abingdon, VA. He spent the majority of his working years in Ford-Mercury-Lincoln dealerships and heavy duty truck and earth moving equipment dealers.
While he described himself as “Just an auto mechanic”, Jody, throughout his life, loved building engines for professional race cars. He enjoyed years of friendship with people involved in NASCAR racing. As a hobby, he enjoyed rebuilding old cars to the point where they appeared to have just rolled off the assembly line. His favorite “rebuild” was a 1967 Mustang “Boss” model, painted candy apple red and white. When something broke around the house, be it a lawn mower, the washing machine, a stove, or even a watch, Jody could fix it. He also enjoyed reading and spending time with “Fuzz”, his cat.
In keeping with Jody’s wishes, there will be no funeral services. There will be a private family burial service later at the family burial site in Bluefield, VA.
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