Dr. Astor Yeary Herrell was born on February 13, 1935 in Ft. Ridge, TN to the late Clarence and Charity Herrell.  He transitioned to his heavenly home at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home by family on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Dr. Herrell is a retired Department Chair of the Physical Science Department at Winston Salem State University.  He graduated from Clayton County Schools in TN.  He served in the United States Army.  Following his Military Services, he received a B.A of Arts in Chemistry/Physics from Brea College, a Master's Degree in Chemistry from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL, and a PhD in Chemistry from Tuskegee University.

Dr. Herrell, at the age of thirteen, was tested with an IQ of 140. He excelled in Math & Science and was placed in academically gifted classes.  He was the first person to attend college and obtain a PhD in his family.  He was the first and only black man in 1953 to receive a BA in Chemistry from Brea College.  He was the first black man to receive a PhD in Chemistry from Clayton County, TN.  In 1963 his received the National Science Foundation Fellowship Award from Wayne State University.  He was chemistry professor at several Historical Black Colleges during the 1960, but in 1965 he was appointed Department Chair of the Chemistry at Knoxville College, in Knoxville, TN.  In 1979, he accepted a position as Chair of The Natural Science Department at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, NC.   During his tenure at WSSU, he completed the accreditation to start offering Chemistry as a Major and founded the Chemistry Department. He was the Chair of the Physical Science Department at WSSU from 1979 until his retirement in 2008.

He was a member of the American Chemical Society and in 2018 he was honored for sixty years of services.  He assisted with writing several scientific journals that were published during the 1970's.  He was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. He was known for attending yard sales and auctions and setting up a booth at the local Flea Market every Saturday.  He continued to attend these events until his illness in 2018.  He was a devoted father, grandfather, and great-grandfather to his last days.

Dr. Herrell was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Charity Herrell; his wife, Doris Smith Herrell; his sisters, ArraLee Herrell Underwood and Virginia Herrell Mize; and brothers, Landon Herrell and Jim Herrell.

He leaves to cherish his most dear and precious devoted daughter, Patricia Herrell Hutchison (Lonnie); two grandchildren, Paicha McNeel and Quentin Horne; a great-granddaughter, Paityn McNeel; two Godchildren, Timmorthy Moore and Dr. Marcus Barr; a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends; and beloved families, the Brown's, Addison's, Hutchison's.

A viewing will be held from 1:00pm until 5:00pm Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at Russell Funeral Home, 822 Carl Russell Ave., Winston-Salem, NC 27101.

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00pm Thursday, March 30, 2023 at the Russell Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow in Parklawn Memorial Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC. The family visitation will be held from 12:30pm until 1:00pm on Thursday at the Chapel.