Person Page 4,711

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Josephine Leopold Davis Josephine Leopold Davis died peacefully on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond, Virginia.

The daughter of Henrietta Schumann and Joseph Leopold, she was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and raised in Milton, Pennsylvania.

She enjoyed a wonderful marriage to Gustavus Morris Schwarzschild Jr. for over 40 years, until his death in 1980. In 1985, she married Ralph Oliver Davis and enjoyed another almost 20 years with him until his death in 2004. Jo lived in Staunton from the 1940's until she moved to Richmond in 2005.

Jo is survived by one daughter, Jane L. Shackelford and her husband, V. R. III; one grandson, V. Randolph Shackelford IV and his wife, Katrina; and one great-grandson, V. R. Shackelford V. She also had three step-children, one of whom predeceased her, three step-granddaughters and four step-great-granddaughters.

Jo graduated as co-valedictorian of her class from Milton High School, and she attended Goucher College. Jo had a contagious enthusiasm for life and was a multi-talented person with a wide range of interests and friends. With her impeccable taste and sense of style, she did most of the New York buying for Schwarzschild's, Inc., a women's specialty store in Staunton, that she owned and ran with Gus for over 30 years. She was something of a fashion icon in Staunton, totally comfortable in a sophisticated outfit from an avant-garde designer in New York one minute and her lucky golf attire in another. An accomplished golfer, she won numerous tournaments over five decades, playing mostly at Augusta Country Club, Country Club of Staunton and Spanish Wells Club in Hilton Head.

Her skill and love of the game earned her a position on the executive board of the VSGA, Women's Division, and also led to a spot on the People-to-People Golf Team, a quasi-ambassadorial program for the United States started by President Eisenhower, where she played foreign teams on renown courses in Spain, France, Ireland and Scotland.

As a young lady, Jo was a dancer and a pianist, and she graduated from the Bucknell University School of Music; she continued to play the piano for friends and enlivened many a Staunton party with her renditions. Having graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in D.C. and studied under Horace Day in Staunton, and Lois Dickensheets, Pat Lusk and others in Hilton Head, she was an excellent painter and had a deep interest in art. She was a member of Staunton Fine Arts and the Hilton Head Art League, a group with which Ralph and she took several interesting trips. In her retirement, she took great delight in bridge and her many bridge groups in Staunton, Hilton Head and Richmond, enjoying trips to tournaments along the East Coast with some of these friends.

Her interest in plants was evidenced by her having Charles Gillette design her Staunton garden, by the vases of her roses that she took to almost everyone she visited, and by her membership in the Rose Society. Jo was a creative and gracious hostess and a terrific cook, enjoying, but rarely needing, any of the bookshelves of cookbooks she collected. And throughout all of this, she was a loyal and dear friend to many, a devoted wife to two husbands who adored her, and an exceptionally dedicated and loving mother and grandmother to a daughter and grandson who cherish her memory.

The family appreciates the excellent help provided by her caregivers, including Brittney Hawkins, Joan Nave, Ayana Thompson and the team from Bon Secours Hospice. Burial was private. A memorial service will be held at a date to be determined.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Carroll Preston Shackelford

Napa Valley Register, Feb 12, 2018

1948-2018

C. Preston Shackelford lived as she died, with determination, intelligence and verve. She had a special capacity to celebrate the many blessings that flowed from her fierce flair for creating opportunities for herself and her loved ones. She expressed her love and joy through her desire to live life to its fullest and enjoy sharing it all with family and friends.

Born January 30, 1948, Preston grew up in Virginia, attended Smith College and completed her bachelor’s degree at SUNY, Old Westbury, NY. She earned her JD at Bolt Law School, UC Berkeley, and in 1974 moved to Napa where she became the only woman practicing law at the time. Specializing in family law, Preston had a long and distinguished career as partner in Coombs and Dunlap before retiring in 2011. Preston’s success was fueled by her commitment to her clients and her desire to help families solve their problems through mediation and negotiation. She also served as city attorney for Yountville and was the first woman to join Napa Rotary.

Political activism was a major focus for Preston in the 1960’s when she supported civil rights, women’s rights and the peace movement, marching and organizing to bring about change. She took a hiatus from political involvement during her professional and family years, but returned vigorously to the fray following the presidential election of 2016. Wearing her pussy hat, Preston marched proudly in the 2017 Napa Women’s March and organized a huddle of women who continue to be active, especially in the Sanctuary Movement to advocate for and protect immigrant families in Napa Valley. Preston was an early proponent of the right to die, attending rallies and working to support passage of the bill in CA.

It was Preston’s devotion to family that brought her the deepest pleasure. In 1985, she and John [Barry] Todd [1940-2017] met on a Sierra Club hike and soon fell in love. When they married, Preston was catapulted into the arms of the Todd family, throwing herself mind, heart and soul into family life. Her biggest joy and accomplishment in life was helping John raise his daughters Jennifer and Cynthia, and then on Preston’s 50th birthday, she and John adopted their beloved daughter Morgan Leigh Todd.

For Preston, family life overflowed with fun and adventure. With her keen intellect and competitive spirit, Preston enjoyed playing bridge and forged lasting friendships through the various recreational activities she enjoyed. John was a consummate sailor; they bought a series of spiffy sailboats and, through many years of fierce sailing competition often came home with trophies. They enjoyed family outings to ski at North Star, boat, boogie board and water ski at Clear Lake, and hike and camp throughout California. John and Preston were devoted to their girls, and with deep devotion, they supported each other through the thick and thin of life.

Preston was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, and John nursed her back to health. When the tables turned, Preston cared lovingly and tenderly for John last fall during his four-month journey with leukemia. She and the family were by his side when he died the week after Thanksgiving. By Christmas, Preston knew her cancer had returned. She began treatment again, but this time experienced a terrible reaction and began to ready herself to walk the path of death with dignity.

In the final weeks of her life, Preston received a stream of friends, deeply enjoying the many visits, loving conversations and shared memories. Her 70th birthday request for a showering of gifts to celebrate Morgan’s baby (coming in August) was a lovely and poignant occasion with birthday balloons, poppers and party hats. She was determined to put all of her affairs in order, assuring the well-being of her daughters and happily dispensed detailed final instructions. Her clarity and sense of well-being were reassuring to all who visited her in the final weeks.

Preston died at the Sisemore family home in Petaluma surrounded by her loved ones. She will be missed by daughters Jennifer Kouisis with Stassi and Konstantine, Cynthia and her husband Adam Sisemore with Christopher and Bridget, and Morgan Todd with her fiancé Jhett Brewer. She is lovingly remembered by John’s mother, Noni, and her siblings Shack and Mary Shackelford and Kem Courtenay. Good journey.

In lieu of flowers, Preston and her family appreciate donations to Puertas Albiertas to assist our undocumented neighbors or to the Sanctuary Committee of the Napa Methodist Church. At Preston’s request, there will be no memorial service.

Obituary -- (Findagrave.com):

Helen Patricia Chaffee Burke, 85, of Madison, died peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family on Sunday, April 11, 2010.

She was devoted to her family and was the widow of the late Basil C. Burke Jr. and daughter of the late James Stuart Chaffee and Gertrude Chaffee.

Mrs. Burke was a member of Hebron Lutheran Church.

She is survived by her children, Patricia Annette Archibald Burke, Basil C. Burke III, James Stuart Chaffee Burke, E. J. C. Burke and Thomas Mundie Burke II; grandchildren, Chaffee Burke, Margot Burke, Ryan Burke, Daniel Burke, Geoffrey Burke, Gregory Burke, Julia Burke and Eason Burke.

A graveside funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Monday, April 19, 2010, at Hebron Lutheran Church Cemetery in Madison conducted by Pastor James Larsen.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Madison Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 868, Madison, VA 22727.

Preddy Funeral Home of Madison is in charge of arrangements.

Published in Madison News on April 15, 2010.

Obituary -- The Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia; Tuesday, 11 NOV 1913, p.2 (Newspapers.com):

John Deverux (sic) Burrow

(Special to the Times-Dispatch.)

Norfolk, Va., November 10. -- John Deverux (sic) Burrow, president of the Burrow-Martin Drug Company, of this city, died to-day at his country home near Lewisburg, W. Va. He was forty-six years old. He retired from active connection with the drug company here which was established by his father, the late John W. Burrow, eight years ago and moved to Greenbrier County. He was one of the best known business men of this city. He is survived by two brothers -- Dr. Frigail Burrow of Baltimore, and Allan G. Burrow, of Norfolk.

Obituary -- The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, Maryland; Monday, 21 FEB 2005, p.A4 (Newspapers.com):

Hunter S. Thompson, creator of 'gonzo journalism,' dies

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'Fear and Loathing' writer commits suicide in home in the Aspen, Colo. area

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THE DENVER POST

ASPEN, Colo. -- Hunter Stockton Thompson, who coined the term "gonzo journalism" to describe the unique and furiously personal approach to reortage exemplified in his 1972 book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, died last night of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Woody Creek home. He was 67, family members said.

Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis, a friend of Thompson's, confirmed the death. Thompson's son, Juan, discovered his body yesterday evening. "Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his life with a gunshot to the head. The family will provide more information about (a) memorial service shortly," Juan and Anita Thompson, Hunter Thompson's wife, said in a statement.

Countless fans strove to imitate Thompson's startlingly candid first-person accounts that described legally errant escapades fueled by drugs, alcohol and nicotine, yet he maintained a savagely private personal life.

He famously threatened to shoot trespassers, providing endless fodder for caroonist Garry Trudeau's protrayal of Thompson as the hard-living Duke, name after Raoul Duke, a character in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The book was made into a 1998 movie.

Thompson grew up in Louisville, Ky. He earned his high school diploma while in the Air Force. Thompson was still enlisted when he studied journalism at New York's Columbia University, and began his career at the Eglin Air Force Base newsletter while also working as a sportswriter for a local civilian paper. He later worked for Time magazine, the New York Helrald Tribune, the National Observer and The Nation.

Thompson married twice, first to Sandra Dawn Thompson Tarlo, with whom he had one son, Juan F. Thompson. He later married his assistant, Anita Thompson, a native of Fort Collins. Besides his wife and son, survivors include a grandson, William Thompson.

Biography (Findagrave.com):

Journalist and Author. Internationally recognized "Gonzo" journalist, he is best known for his 1972 classic "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas;" also credited with pioneering gonzo journalism - a style of writing that breaks traditional rules of news reporting and is purposefully slanted. His eccentric personality and personal adventures were the basis for his political and cultural criticism of the United States in the 1970s. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he was known for an explosive writing style that employed "action verbs" to comically spin outlandish tales that are completely unbelievable, yet providing a unique viewpoint to accurately describe the underlying reality at hand. His stories became so colorfully contrived that they easily slipped into the realm of fiction, although the basic premise of the story was often accurate. Other books he wrote include: "Hell's Angels" (a non-fiction work that almost cost him his life), "The Proud Highway," and his most recent effort, "Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and The Downward Spiral of Dumbness."

Bio by: Fred Beisser.

Suicide. Per wikipedia.org:

At 5:42 pm on February 20, 2005, Thompson died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at Owl Farm, his "fortified compound" in Woody Creek, Colorado. His son Juan, daughter-in-law Jennifer, and grandson were visiting for the weekend. His wife Anita, who was at the Aspen Club, was on the phone with him as he cocked the gun. According to the Aspen Daily News, Thompson asked her to come home to help him write his ESPN column, then set the receiver on the counter. Anita said she mistook the cocking of the gun for the sound of his typewriter keys and hung up as he fired. Will and Jennifer were in the next room when they heard the gunshot, but mistook the sound for a book falling and did not check on Thompson immediately. Juan Thompson found his father's body. According to the police report and Anita's cell phone records, he called the sheriff's office half an hour later, then walked outside and fired three shotgun blasts into the air to "mark the passing of his father". The police report stated that in Thompson's typewriter was a piece of paper with the date "Feb. 22 '05" and a single word, "counselor".

Thompson's inner circle told the press that he had been depressed and always found February a "gloomy" month, with football season over and the harsh Colorado winter weather. He was also upset over his advancing age and chronic medical problems, including a hip replacement; he would frequently mutter "This kid is getting old." Rolling Stone published what Doug Brinkley described as a suicide note written by Thompson to his wife, titled "Football Season Is Over". It read:

"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your age. Relax — This won't hurt."