Joseph Alfred STEGALL

1905 - 1993  (87 years)

• Name	Joseph Alfred STEGALL
  Birth	26 Jul 1905	Virginia, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  _UID	DCF04D77E13A41E48A9D15DB0F9F4A9D7C53
  Death	25 Apr 1993	Martinsville, Henry County, Virginia, USA   [1]
  Burial	Roselawn Burial Park, Martinsville, Henry County, Virginia, USA   [1]
  Notes	From findagrave.com: Martinsville Bulletin (4-26-1993) - Retired Fieldale police chief Joseph Alfred Stegall, who patroled Henry County and the mill town of Fieldale for 57 years, died Sunday, April 25, at Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County. He was 87. Stegall, who lived on Second Street in Fieldale, retired on July 26, 1990, with an undocumented record of being the oldest working policeman in the state. He was born July 26, 1905, south of Martiinsville and moved with his family to Fieldale when he was 11. "Mr. Fieldale," as he was dubbed, chose a career as a police officer over being a professional baseball player. He began working in the town's Marshall Fields Towel Mill (now Fieldcrest Cannon) in 1934 and in the days of semi-professional baseball, he pitched in the Bi-State League in the summer months. The mill's general manager, J. Frank Wilson, asked Stegall, who had a seventh-grade education, to be the mill's special officer of security, which he accepted. He later was hired by Henry County when it had only six deputies. Stegall was the first policeman in Henry County to have a radio in his car, which sported the number seven, his "lucky number." Throughout the years, he received several plaques from organizations and civic clubs. He was especially proud of one from Fieldale Elementary School which reads: "For dedicated service to the children of Fieldale." Stegall manned the school crossings at Fieldale schools for more than a half century and he knew most of the students by name. In July 1990, nearly 1,000 friends, fans, and dignitaries, includin Sen. Virgil Goode and the late House Speaker A.L. Philpott, celebrated Stegall's 85th birthday and his retirement. "I've been blessed with a rewarding job and the most beautiful family any man could ever hope for in one of the best towns in the world," he said at the time. Stegall was a member of Fieldale Rotary Club and the Fieldale Baptist Church where he taught Sunday school for many years. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lottie Sawyers Stegall, and two sons, Bernard Alfred Stegall and Bobby Carroll "Flop" Stegall. Surviving are four daughters Margaret Ann Stegall of Fieldale, Bettie Jane Stegall of Alexandria, Mrs. Wayne (Pat) Hall of Stanleytown, and Mrs. James W. (Sallie Marie) Minter of Danville; two sons, Donald K. Stegall of Fieldale and Douglas L. Stegall of Collinsville, and eight grandchildren. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Fieldale Baptist Church. The Rev. Richard Harrison and Dr. Chevis Horne will officiate. Burial will follow in Roselawn Burial Park. The family will receive friends from 7-9 p.m. today and will be at the home at other times. McKee Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
  Person ID	I454	America
  Last Modified	7 Mar 2019

  
  

  Father	James Alfred STEGALL,   b. 20 Jan 1861, Henry County, Virginia, USA d. 19 Feb 1943, Martinsville City, Virginia, USA (Age 82 years)
  Mother	Rosa Jane "Rosey" Minter,   b. 1867, Dyer's Store, Leatherwood Community, Henry County, Virginia, USA d. 3 Dec 1936, Fieldale, Henry County, Virginia, USA (Age 69 years)
  Marriage	28 Dec 1882	Henry County, Virginia, USA   [2]
  Family ID	F171	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Lottie Virginia SAWYERS,   b. 29 Aug 1905, Virginia, USA d. 11 Apr 1980, Martinsville, Henry County, Virginia, USA (Age 74 years)
  Marriage	23 Mar 1929	Henry County, Virginia, USA   [2]
  Family ID	F3468	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	7 Mar 2019

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 26 Jul 1905 - Virginia, USA Burial - - Roselawn Burial Park, Martinsville, Henry County, Virginia, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S66] findagrave.com, November 2014 and later. [S70] Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940, Ancestry.com, Nov 2014 and later.