William Blaine Vincel

In Loving Memory of

William Blaine Vincel

William Blaine “Bill” Vincel, 93, of Newport passed away on July 28, 2011. He was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on January 6, 1918; grew up in Loudoun County, Virginia and for the last 65 years was a resident of Clover Hollow, Newport; in Giles County. He was a son of the late Charles B. and Annie Bunker Vincel, and was preceded in death by his wife, Caroline Givens Vincel, Brother Leslie, and Sisters Alice Bailey and Mary Leith. He is survived by his brother Robert, a daughter, Jean Vincel, Newport; son and daughter-in-law Norman and Elizabeth Vincel, Salem; granddaughters Whitney Vincel, Charlotte, NC, and Amy and Emily Vincel, Salem; sister-in-law Louise Givens, Richmond; and many nephews and nieces. He was a charter member of First Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ), Newport and a longtime Sunday school teacher and Elder. A 1941 graduate of Virginia Tech, he served in the Air Force during WWII from 1942 until 1946. He taught and retired as a vocational agriculture teacher at Giles High School. A lifelong farmer, he loved Hereford cattle and was a member of the Bland-Giles Hereford Association and was a founding member of the New River Hereford Association. One of his proudest accomplishments as a purebred Hereford breeder was placing two bulls in A.I. stud at Select Sires. In addition to teaching and farming, he held a variety of jobs including telephone lineman, Forest Warden, technician for Virginia Artificial Breeders (Select Sires) and school bus driver. Many former students know him best as the driver of Bus 29. One of his great loves was the Newport Agricultural Fair. He volunteered countless hours, was livestock superintendent, emcee of the livestock show, the old time forestry field day and the jousting tournament for many years, and was the 1984 Fair Dedication honoree. He was a former member of the Newport Fire Department and was Scoutmaster for many years. During his life he collected many historical pictures of the Newport area, was a resource for many articles and books and wrote several short stories on area history and landmarks. He enjoyed old planes and old guns. He enjoyed old-timey bluegrass and gospel music which provided him countless hours of enjoyment and comfort in his later years. He loved to share his wealth of information with others and would sit on his porch and tell stories as long as anyone would listen. Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 11 am at the First Christian Church, Newport with The Rev. Roger Henderson and Rev. Bernie Taylor officiating with internment following in the Clover Hollow Cemetery in Newport. Family will receive friends Friday evening from 5 – 8pm at the Givens Funeral Home in Pearisburg. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the First Christian Church Memorial Fund, Box 116, Newport, VA 24128 or the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, P.O. Box 706143, Cincinatti, OH 45270-6143 in honor of granddaughter Amy Vincel. Arrangements by Givens Funeral Home, Pearisburg, VA. The family would like to thank all his friends and staff at Richfield Retirement Community and especially the staff and special friends at Knollwood and Joseph C. Thomas Center where he spent his last years as a resident.