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2008 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 9
Celebrating the life of Dorothy Adams Burwell.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, January 17, 2008
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 25, 2008
 

WHEREAS, Dorothy Adams Burwell of Portsmouth, a longtime church and community supporter and volunteer, died on November 23, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Burwell was born on June 5, 1932, the daughter of the late Mary Alice Lewis and Isaiah Elliott, grew up and attended public school in Norfolk County; and married the now late Earl Adams in 1949; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy and Earl Adams were the parents of seven wonderful children, daughter Vera and sons Stefan, Kenneth, twins Kevin and Karl, and the late Marvin and Steve Adams; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Adams Burwell selflessly gave to others and the church all of her life, and when she joyously married the Reverend Dr. H. L. Burwell in 1977, she became the devoted matriarch of First Baptist Church West Norfolk, until the pastor’s death in 1993; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Burwell served First Baptist Church West Norfolk with boundless energy and great compassion, as a spiritual mentor and teacher, member of the Deaconess Ministry, president of the Senior Choir, and in numerous other capacities wherever she was needed; and

WHEREAS, committed to helping her fellow citizens in need, Dorothy Burwell was actively involved in the many missions that First Baptist Church West Norfolk sponsored in the community and throughout Hampton Roads; and  

WHEREAS, an inspiration to all who knew her, Dorothy Burwell was first and foremost a faithful and hard-working minister’s wife and mother, as well as the gentle and patient nurturer of a large and close-knit family, including 23 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, a woman of great wisdom and fortitude, Dorothy Burwell will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her loving family, her numerous friends and admirers, and the congregation of First Baptist Church West Norfolk; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of an outstanding Virginian, Dorothy Adams Burwell; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Dorothy Adams Burwell as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.