Heroes are everywhere. They come in all shapes and sizes – they don’t look a certain way, they don’t dress a certain way – they’re just there when you need them. And for a number of neighbors who desperately needed help during the storms that struck Cherokee County on Monday night, March 19th (2018) – Robert Summerville was there.
As the intense storm front was beginning to make its way into the county Summerville took the time to gather his neighbors rather than simply concentrate on his own safety.
WEIS Radio spoke with his son, Robert Jr., a long-haul trucker, who called us from Michigan to share some of his thoughts about his father and the kind of man he was:
According to Coroner Dr. Jeremy Deaton, one of those on the scene administered CPR to the victim until members of the Cedar Bluff Fire Department and Cherokee EMS along with the Cherokee County Rescue Squad arrived at County Road 251 at the rear of Cornwall Furnace Park. Unfortunately efforts to revive Summerville were unsuccessful.
The 9-1-1 call went out at 8:35pm, with Dr. Deaton pronouncing him dead at 9:21pm.
This occurred during the height of the storm, with the National Weather Service concluding that at one point an EF-1 tornado briefly touched down in the county at 8:02pm. The storm with heavy rains and high winds continued to pummel the county until after 10:00. Even at the age of 69, Summerville didn’t hesitate when the safety of others was involved.
During our conversation Robert Jr. told us how his father came to live in Cherokee County – and gave us some background on his chosen path in life, which certainly said a lot about the type of person he was:
He also earned the distinguished medal of Marksman Badge M-14, National Defense Service Medal, Viet Nam Service Medal, Viet Nam Campaign Medal & Device Combat Action Ribbon.
In closing, Robert had this to share with us:
Funeral services for Robert Lloyd Summerville, Sr., will be held on Wednesday, March 28th, at 1:00pm (EASTERN) at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia. Graveside Memorial Service will be 1 PM (Eastern Time) Wednesday March 28th at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Ga.
Survivors include two sons, Robert Summerville Jr. of Newman, Ga. and Joseph Summerville of Austell, Ga.; brother, Chip Summerville of Cedartown, Ga.; sisters, Buffy Pyle and Frieda Edwards both of Cedartown, Ga.; and 3 grandchildren.
Mr. Summerville was a native of Cedartown, Ga. and the son of the late Dewey Preston and Vera Abrams Pope Summerville. Robert was a veteran of the Vietnam conflict with distinguished medals of Marksman Badge M-14, National Defense Service Medal, Viet Nam Service Medal, Viet Nam Campaign Medal, Device Combat Action Ribbon, and the Purple Heart Medal.
Perry Funeral Home Directing