Joel Hillyer Webb, the son of Jack W. (Bill) Webb Jr. and Carolyn Parker Webb, left us on Thursday, July 9, 2009, in Suffolk, Va. He was born in Suffolk on Aug. 29, 1980 and was the brother of Jack W. (Will) Webb III and wife, Melissa, and Alice Austin Webb Gillespie and husband, David. His memory will be cherished by his mom, dad, brother, sister and his beloved grandparents, Jack W. Webb Sr. and Faye Nimmo Webb (Mammy and Pappy) and Ruth Hunt Parker (Nana). He was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Clarence Henderson Parker (Pop) and his uncle, Thomas Henderson Parker. Joel made a friend everywhere he went and, therefore, has friends around the world.
Joel was a graduate of Mrs. Morrison’s Suffolk Day School, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy and Virginia Tech. He had many happy moments throughout his school years and participated in numerous activities, including scouting, where he obtained the rank of Eagle Scout in Troop 1. He so enjoyed his years playing all the sports of Suffolk Youth Athletic Association and attending Camp Seagull in Arapahoe, N.C., for four summers. He was a member of West End Baptist Church and was active in its youth program as a young man. Joel and his brother, Will, were fortunate to travel across the United States with Boy Scout Troop 1 to attend the Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico, where lasting memories were made.
Joel began fishing with his dad and great friend Jack Leach at age four and became very experienced. During his college years, he traveled with his parents and sister to Hawaii, where he and his family had an opportunity to fish for blue marlin off the coast of Kona. That experience was noted by the charter boat captain in Hawaii and he told Joel that he could find a job for him as a mate. Joel returned home with his family for several weeks and then was back across the Pacific to pursue a dream. Virginia Tech would be on hold for three years. During the Hawaii years, he traveled with a friend each fall to the northeastern coast of Australia, where they found work on charter fishing boats catching black marlin on the Great Barrier Reef. Joel eventually decided it was time to return to Virginia Tech to finish what he had started five years prior. In December 2005, he was awarded a B.S. in Human Development from Virginia Tech and became forever a HOKIE.
At the time of his death, Joel was employed by Bluewater Yachts of Hampton and was as happy as ever being in a fishing and boating world. His memory will be cherished by many, including aunts and uncles, Anne, Mary Alice (Jay), Joe (Nancy), and Bart, as well as cousins Rebecca (Mike), Julia, Vic, Lizzie, Joby (Mindy), Jarrett (Emily) and Jordan. Friends are numerous and so appreciated by Joel’s family, but Ray, Travis and Michael are special. He was a magnet toward children, especially his nieces, Isabel and Madelyn, and nephew, Logan.
Funeral services will be conducted Monday, July 13, 2009 at 11 a.m. in West End Baptist Church by the Rev. T. Floyd Irby. The family will receive friends in the R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home & Crematory, 509 W. Washington St., Suffolk, on Sunday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to West End Baptist Church, 501 W. Washington St., Suffolk, VA 23434 or to Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1, 202 N. Main St., Suffolk, VA 23434. Condolences may be registered at www.rwbakerfh.com.