Richard D. Harwood, was the strong, silent type, say those who knew him. Mr. Harwood, retired executive vice president and general counsel for Conwood Corp., died Tuesday at his daughter's home in Dandridge, Tenn., of heart failure. He was 91. "He was a highly respected man of absolute integrity and sound business judgment," said William Rosson, director of Conwood. "As both lawyer and businessman, he helped lead the company through difficult times and laid the foundation for the success which the company continues to enjoy." Conwood, a business in operation for more than a century, makes smokeless tobacco products. Originally, it was the American Snuff Company. "He was a man of dignity, reserved and quiet . . . and well-respected among his peers," said stepson Anderson Humphreys. An avid golfer, Mr. Harwood once beat his friend, golfer Cary Middlecoff, before Middlecoff became a professional, Humphreys said. A World War II Navy veteran, Mr. Harwood was involved in charitable and civic organizations, including the Shelby County Tuberculosis Society, Memphis Community Fund and Memphis Botanic Garden Foundation. He was president of the Memphis United Cerebral Palsy Association and was founder and director of the Harwood Center for cerebral palsy victims. Mr. Harwood, the husband of Eleanor A. Harwood, also leaves two daughters, Cary Harwood Hailey, of Dandridge, and Evan R. Harwood of Memphis, three grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Peter's Church, where he was a communicant, with burial in Calvary. Canale Funeral Directors has charge. The family requests that memorials be sent to the Harwood Center, the DeNeuville Learning Center or a charity of the donor's choice. (Published in The Commercial Appeal 2-14-2002)

Predeceased by brother, James E. Harwood Jr. and sister, Kathryn Harwood Gill

Click HERE for memorials of others associated with Conwood Company (now called American Snuff Company)