Retired Fire Captain Emmett Richard VanNess, Jr.

Mr. Emmett Richard VanNess, Jr., age 69, passed peacefully in the home that he built, surrounded by family on Friday evening, April 26th 2024.

A time of remembrance will be held from 4:00pm – 6:00pm Saturday, May 4, 2024, at George Brothers Funeral Service.

Emmett was born in Richmond, Virginia. He came from humble beginnings and worked hard for everything that he had. He lived in Greensboro the majority of his life and graduated from Dudley High School in 1973. He became a firefighter for the City of Greensboro in 1974 at the age of 19. He achieved a degree in Fire Science from GTCC in 1982. He was a dedicated firefighter and worked for the department for 39 years. Emmett retired as a Captain in 2013. He also worked in construction, building houses and completing various home projects for others throughout the years. 

Among other things, Emmett was a loving husband, father, and Granddad. He loved his family, especially his 8 young grandchildren. He will be remembered for his water gun fights, Grasshopper baseball games, tootsie rolls, and ice cream runs at the beach. He lived for the annual beach trip with the whole family. He recently stated in his retiree interview that his greatest accomplishment were his three children. 

Emmett also enjoyed working in his yard and garden. He valued the simplicities of life. He was someone you could count on, a man of his word. He was always doing for others. He will be deeply missed.

Emmett was preceded in death by his parents Emmett and Joan Reynolds VanNess, Sr. and his brother Paul VanNess.

Emmett is survived by his loving wife, of forty-three years, Jamey Wall VanNess; children Tony Morton (Rachel), Michael VanNess (Susan), and Emily Snider (Justin). He was adored by his grandchildren Ada, Iris, Nora, Anna, Eric, Grace, Nash, and Eleanor.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to be made to Ignite the Spirit Greensboro—a charity to assist Greensboro Firefighters and their families in times of need. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Retired Fire Captain Emmett Richard VanNess, Jr., please visit our floral store.