AUSTELL WINSTON-SALEM - Edward Callaway "Ned" Austell died Thursday, December 24, 2009, at Forsyth Medical Center following a brief but courageous battle with cancer. He was born August 9, 1937, in Spartanburg, SC to the late Frances Glenn Austell and Ned Austell. Ned, as he was known, graduated from Davidson College in 1959 and then received his MBA from University of North Carolina School of Business. He is also a graduate of the Northwestern University Trust School. Serving his country as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Ned was stationed at Fort Sill, OK, and Fort Benning, GA. A banker for 42 years, Ned began with the First Commercial National Bank of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. He concluded his career in Winston- Salem, NC as Senior Vice President, Wealth Management, Wachovia Bank. He was proud to say that all of the banks for which he worked eventually fell under the Wachovia "umbrella." Prior to his move to Winston-Salem in 1983, Ned worked for the Georgia Railroad Banking Company in Augusta, GA, for 12 years. It was there that he began an active involvement in the community. He was an early member of Leadership Augusta; served as president of the Augusta Opera Board; served as president of the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art; and served as president of the Georgia Bankers Trust, among other interests. Service in the Presbyterian Church was a major part of Ned's life. He was a diaconate chairman and elder in churches in Columbia, SC, Augusta, GA, and Winston-Salem, NC. In 1996, he became a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston- Salem, where he was actively involved in the Friday Men's Prayer Breakfast and the Ecclesiastical Arts Committee. Following his move to Winston-Salem, Ned made a conscious decision to devote more time to his family. He is survived by his wife and best friend of 43 years, Louise Zimmerman Austell; and their two daughters: Frances Austell Wells and husband H.B. (Toby) Wells, Jr., and their daughters, Lydia Louise Wells and Elizabeth Grace Wells, of Pinehurst, NC, and Elizabeth Austell Allen and husband, Dr. Henry William West Allen IV, and their children, Helena Broyles Allen and William Zimmerman Allen, of Jonesboro, AR. He is also survived by his brother, Robert M. Austell of Greenville, SC; and two Austell nephews: the Reverend Doctor Robert M. Austell, Jr., and Glenn G. Austell; and uncle, Dan Austell and wife, Margaret of Winston-Salem. Ned enjoyed playing tennis for most of his life. In addition, during the last ten years he enjoyed hiking, primarily in the NC mountains. As a young man, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He was a member of the Winston-Salem Rotary and is a Paul Harris Fellow. He previously served on the board of directors of the Contact ministry. A Graveside Burial Service will be held in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 1300 Fernwood Glendale Rd., Spartanburg, SC, on Tuesday, December 29, 2009, at 2 p.m. A Celebration of Ned's Life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, NC, on Wednesday, December 30, 2009, at 2 p.m. The Austells will receive family and friends in the Colhoun Room immediately following the Service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 520 Summit Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101; Winston-Salem Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 20424, Winston-Salem, NC 27120; American Cancer Society Attn: Melanoma Research, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718; or the donor's choice. Salem Funeral Home.