Thomas Burwell's Obituary
Thomas Chase Burwell, 81, of Huntersville passed away on April 23, 2023. A native of Decatur, Illinois, he was born January 10, 1942, son of Helen Keller and Thornton Chase Burwell. In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by his brothers Ceil Burwell, Alan Burwell, and Bob Burwell, as well as his sister Ginger Fannin. His loving survivors include his wife Cheryl Cornwall Burwell; their sons, Thomas and wife Camille of Wilkesboro, NC and Todd and wife Kelly of Huntsville, AL; grandchildren: Keegan Burwell, McKenna Burwell, and Braden Burwell; and his sister, Sherie Stuecher.
Tom lived in Decatur until age 16 when his father retired and the family moved to Clearwater, Florida. Throughout his high school and college years, he was employed by Thom Mcan starting as a salesman and progressing to assistant manager of the store. He began his college career at the University of South Florida in Tampa and graduated from University of Tampa in 1965 with a degree in Business Administration. While at University of South Florida, Cheryl’s older brother Chet, Tom’s fraternity brother, introduced Cheryl and Tom. They dated throughout college and were married in Winter Park, Florida in May 1966. After college graduation, Tom joined Exchange Bank in Temple Terrace, Florida as a financial officer starting his banking career that would last 40 years. Afterwards, he joined the home office in downtown Tampa with further promotions. In 1988, when NationBank (soon to become Bank of America) acquired Exchange Bank, Tom was transferred to North Carolina where he finished out his banking career, ultimately becoming Vice President in Accounting, until he retired in 2005
Tom was defined by his love for family, his animals, and the outdoors. He was heavily involved in his children’s and grandchildren’s activities serving as Webelos leader, Cub Scout Leader, and Assistant Little League Coach among other roles, as well as being his kids and grandkids number one fan. Known within his family as the “dog whisperer”, Tom was rarely seen without one of his dogs or granddogs by his side. Tom thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors including yard work, boating, hiking, and camping with his family in the North Carolina mountains. In his earlier years, Tom was an avid golfer. When not spending time with family, Tom and Cheryl loved going on cruises and to travel to new places.
A Memorial will be planned at a later date. To leave a condolence or memory for the family of Thomas Burwell, please visit “obituaries” at www.jamesfuneralhme.com/obits. James Funeral Home of Huntersville is honored to care for the family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation alzinfo.org or Gordon Hospice House (Iredell County) www.hoic.org/Gordon-Hospice-House
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