Philip Alexander Seward: photos of Alex

Alex's obituary

Philip Alexander Seward, 62

RICHMOND--Mr. Philip Alexander Seward died February 24, 2009, at Beth Sholom Nursing Home.

Born Philip Larry Seward in Suffolk, Virginia, on November 20, 1946, he grew up on the family farm near Elberon, Virginia.

He was an accomplished athlete in Little League and Pony League baseball in Surry County. He lettered in baseball and basketball in high school. He was a member of the marching band during elementary and high school and represented his school as an alto saxophonist at Virginia All-State Band.

From the time he was able to reach the steering wheel, he was driving tractors and his father’s pickup on the farm. While in his teens, he hauled land plaster and fertilizer for his father's business.

He received academic honors in high school and was valedictorian of his senior class. He attended Virginia Tech where he served in the Cadet Corps as a freshman and majored in agricultural engineering.

He later completed his education at Virginia Commonwealth University where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration with a focus on accounting. During this time, he moonlighted as a cab driver in Richmond.

During his professional career he worked in accounting for the federal government in the District of Columbia and for private businesses in New York, Florida and Virginia.

He was a member of Surry Baptist Church and was active in the Churchland Jaycees.

Prior to moving to Richmond in 2008 because of health problems, he lived on the family farm in Surry County for more than twenty years.

He was the son of the late Roy Ellis Seward, Sr. of Elberon, Virginia.

Survivors include his mother, Elma Joyner Seward of Richmond; his sister, Connie S. Langston, and brother-in-law, James Oliver Langston of Smyrna, Tennessee; his brother Roy E. Seward Jr., and sister-in-law Lynne K. Seward of Richmond, Virginia; his brother, Kevin R. Seward and sister-in-law, Catherine Carter of Holliston, Massachusetts; and three nieces, Heather Langston Pottkotter of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, Terry B. Seward of Richmond, Virginia and Sook Ja W. Seward of Sandston, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Surry Volunteer Rescue Squad, P. O. Box 188, Surry, VA 23883, and Surry Baptist Church, 76 Church St., VA 23883.

A memorial service will be held at Surry Baptist Church in Surry, Virginia, at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, 2009.