Category: 1943

Benjamin Rice Lacy III died peacefully on January 18, 2021 at Hidden Springs Senior Living in Bentonville. He was 98 years old. But as he would have said it, he was technically in his 99th year.

Ben was born on March 5, 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia. He spent his childhood in Richmond, where his father was president of Union Theological Seminary, and enjoyed summers at their family cabin at Freezeland Orchard with his parents and siblings Bob, Bill & Betty. These experiences paved the way for his life as a devout Christian and respected orchardist.

Ben graduated from Davidson College in 1943, where he was Quarterback of the Wildcats football team. He proudly served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps from 1943-1947, where he was a Rocket Officer during World War II. He received his Masters Degree in Horticulture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1949 and was an assistant football coach for the Hokies.

In 1946, Ben married Carolyn West of Kinston, North Carolina. Together they had two children, Emma Lee and Benjamin. They spent much of their time volunteering at the Front Royal Presbyterian Church, where Ben taught Sunday School for 68 years. The Benjamin R. Lacy Compassion Center was recently established there in his honor.

After the death of his first wife, in 1975, Ben married Jean Boyd McIntyre of Norfolk who he proposed to on their first date. They were married for 35 years and he became stepfather to her three children, graciously hosting years of extended family gatherings and building a family business together.

Ben spent most of his life as an apple grower. For over 50 years, he was President and Manager of the Freezeland Orchard from his youth and a partner in The Apple House in Linden. He was a respected leader in the Virginia apple industry, serving as President of Virginia Fruit Sales, Inc., Vice-President of Shenandoah Apple Cooperative; Director of both the Virginia State Apple Commission and Virginia Agricultural Foundation; President of the National Apple Institute and Virginia State Horticultural Society and Chairman of the American Agricultural Marketing Association.

In 1979, inspired by his father’s tales of tasting sparkling cider as a Rhodes Scholar in Europe, Ben invented Alpenglow which he produced and distributed nationally with his family for 40 years at Linden Beverage Company.

Ben was preceded in death by his parents Benjamin Rice Lacy, Jr. and Emma White Lacy and son, Benjamin Rice Lacy IV of Richmond.

He is survived by daughter Emma Lacy Nashner (Dick) of Haverton, Pennsylvania, daughter-in-law Sandra Schute Lacy of Richmond, stepson, George Lee McIntyre, Jr. (Karen), of Front Royal, and two stepdaughters, Elizabeth McIntyre Quarles (Doug) of Fredericksburg and Debra McIntyre Hunter of Front Royal.

His grandchildren, step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren loved him dearly; they include: Benjamin Rice Lacy V (Carlie) of Columbia, South Carolina, Carolyn Lacy Brackett (Alex) of Richmond, Christine Wiley (Chris) and Carolyn Goede (Nicholas) of Havertown, Pennsylvania; Kathryn McIntyre Tewell (Tim), Courtney McIntyre Maier (David) and George Lee McIntyre III of Front Royal; Lacy Quarles Briney (John) and Douglas Earle Quarles IV (Shelby) of Richmond; Laura Hunter Drago (Matthew) of Valencia, California; and great-grandchildren Maggie, Mason, Addison, Peyton, Webb, Eason, Billy, Hunter, Abigail, Ben and Jones.

A private memorial service will take place for immediate family, conducted by Pastor Carrie Evans. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Benjamin R. Lacy Compassion Center at Front Royal Presbyterian Church, 115 Luray Avenue, Front Royal, Virginia 22630.

Arrangements are being handled by Maddox Funeral Home, Front Royal, Virginia.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.maddoxfuneralhome.com

 Copyright (c) 2021, Byrd Newspapers, All Rights Reserved.

Clyde Hood Hobbs, 98 of  Anderson, S.C. formerly of Whiteville, N.C. died Friday, October 18,2019 at Premier Living of Lake Waccamaw .

He was the son of the late William Black Hobbs and Mary Cooper Hood and was preceded in death by his wife, Oudia Pierson Hobbs and  a grandson, Joseph Michael Dutton.

He served in the U.S. Army during World War, II.

He was a member of  Whiteville United Methodist Church and was owner of W.B. Hobbs & Son  Coal Yard .

Survivors include  his daughters, Sharonne H. Dutton (Butch) of Whiteville, N.C. and Sabra H. Allen of Whiteville, N.C.,  3  Grandchildren and  4 Great-Grandchildren.

Funeral Service will be Wednesday, October 23, 2019  at 11:00 a.m. at Whiteville United Methodist Church  with Rev. Paul Stallsworth  officiating with burial following in the Whiteville  Memorial  Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Sloan Kattering Cancer Center @ P.O. Box 5028 Hagertown, MD. 21741-5028  or to Lower Cape Fear Hospice Center @ 206 Warrior Trail  , Whiteville, N.C. 28472

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Clyde Hood Hobbs, please visit our floral store.

William C. Robinson, Jr. formerly of Newton, MA, died peacefully on June 11, 2018, 5 days short of his 96th birthday.  He was born in Gettysburg, PA in 1922 to William C. and Mary McConkey Robinson.  He grew up in Decatur, GA, and upon his graduation from Davidson College in NC, he entered World War II as a 2nd Lt in the Infantry.  Assigned command of an antitank platoon, he, with his men landed on the coast of France shortly after D-Day.  They went on to Belgium and the Netherlands, where they secured the South end of the Battle of the Bulge, and finally into Germany, following General Patton’s tanks, chasing the Nazis back toward Berlin.

At war’s end, the GI Bill of Rights sent him to the University of Edinburgh, Scotland to study Theology. He spent further time working toward his doctorate at the University of Basel, Switzerland, later earned a degree at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga, and became pastor of a small church near Raleigh, NC.  He continued work on his Doctorate at Yale Divinity School, and at the University of Bonn, Germany, and then completed it at the University of Basel.

He taught Bible at King College in Bristol, TN for five years, served as Professor of New Testament at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, for ten years, and at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, MA for 21 years. He spent a sabbatical semester teaching at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem.

Bill enjoyed playing trumpet in high school and college years, and always, singing in choirs.  He sang with the Chorus Pro Musica, and for many years with the Newton Choral Society and Eliot Church Choir.  His treasure was a 1959 Jaguar sedan — rebuilding its engine with son, Bill, and driving it. He enjoyed building, especially furniture.  Another delight was learning the Coptic language and translating one of the Nag Hammadi documents.  He loved his research into the New Testament period of history, as well as in tracing his family history.

He leaves his wife, Virginia (Whiteman); son John W, wife Mary (Condon), granddaughter Lily Elizabeth of Bolton, MA; treasured nieces and nephew, Francoise, Jamie, Joy, and Rosemary, all of CA, and their children; and many beloved Robinson cousins. He is predeceased by his first wife, Mildred Ann (Evans), his son, William C III and his brother, James M. Robinson.

A service will be held at 2:00 on Saturday, September 15 at Eliot Church, 474 Centre St. in Newton Corner. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, MA and NH Chapter, 309 Waverly Oaks Rd, Waltham, MA 02452.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William C. Robinson, please visit our floral store.