Sally F. Pabst (Age 77)
Memorial service info

Sally F. Pabst, born Sally Gorton Fisher in February 1945, was the daughter of the late William Dale Fisher and Sarah Guiou Fisher and the older sister of the late William Guiou Fisher, passed away on October 3rd, 2022 at her home in Montferrand, France at the age of 77.

She is survived by her husband David A. Pabst, two sons: Dale Avery Pabst (wife Gretchen) of Oak Beach, New York, Alec Guiou Pabst (wife Yoshiko), and granddaughter Reina Pabst of London, UK, and brother David Baldwin Fisher (wife Jan) of Maui, HI.

Sally’s passions ranged from music and dance, in her early years teaching her musician brother David to play the guitar and art history, becoming a docent at the National Gallery of Art and volunteering at art institutions overseas. She and her husband David also enjoyed collecting Asian art and antiques over multiple years living in Japan and Laos.

Sally grew up in a US Foreign Service family, spending much of her early life overseas. In her younger years while her father was American Consul in Florence Italy she was schooled at Miss Barry’s American School. When he was later reassigned to the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode island she lived in a modest but lovely house on Newport’s Cliff Walk lined with historic mansions. Then, when her father was reassigned to the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia she attended school in Nairobi, Kenya. Unfortunately, after several years in Ethiopia her father was killed on duty in an upcountry plane crash, forcing a hasty return of the family to Washington. There she attended the Holten-Arms School prior to enrolling at Smith College.

After graduating from Smith, Sally continued with graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies (SAIS), including spending a semester in Bologna, Italy. Upon graduating from SAIS, she moved back to Washington DC and started work at the World Bank. While in DC she met her future husband, David Pabst, a young Foreign Service Officer, at a party in Georgetown. Having grown up overseas, she didn’t bat an eye when David invited her to join him in Southern Laos on his first assignment. She sold her trusty VW Bug for a one-way ticket to Bangkok, Thailand where David met her. They then hopped a secret intelligence short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft flight over the border to Laos (foiling the existing strict controls on admittance to that country). Sally already spoke decent French (the second language of Laos) and loved life as she and David moved back and forth between the capital of Vientiane and his job overseeing the Laotian struggle with the Vietnam war in southern Laos. Meanwhile, Sally’s mother, a career US diplomat in Barbados, got wind of their escapades and leaned on her old friend, David’s boss, the US Ambassador to Laos, to have a discussion with him. This soon led to a wedding in the lovely garden of the Ambassador’s Residence in Vientiane. Not long thereafter her mother was reassigned to the US Embassy in Bangkok, meaning Sally could frequently visit her mom’s lovely house along the banks of a Klong (canal) in that vibrant city.

From Laos, Sally and David moved on to Tokyo, Japan where she thrived and became fluent in Japanese, eventually taking on a role as an editor for a Japanese government trade magazine. She also bore their first son, Dale, named after her father. They moved on from Tokyo to the US Consulate in Fukuoka where she worked at Suntory Whisky and bore their second son, Alec. Sally had loved Tokyo but liked Fukuoka even more, as her demanding new job, two young sons and the city’s vibrant nightlife, steps from their sprawling, picturesque historic house and garden. After four wonderful years in southern Japan they were sent back to Washington where they bought and renovated a lovely old historic house in the Dupont Circle area, but the call of more overseas adventures came, and they soon moved on to Paris, where David served in the US embassy and where Sally had spent some of her childhood. While overseeing the education of their two young sons in a French school she explored the wonders of one of the world’s great cities. After six years in Paris they returned to Washington for a few years where Sally continued restoration of their Dupont Circle house.

They then returned to Japan, where David served as US Consul General in Osaka. While managing a full calendar of entertainment around the consular corps and public relations duties, Sally took a job as a copy editor for a large consumer goods and restaurant conglomerate, helping address translation faux pas from English to Japanese along the way.

Their last official post in the Foreign Service was at NATO’s southern Headquarters in Naples, Italy. Again, Sally was in an element where she could thrive. After having been schooled as a girl in Florence and her later graduate studies in Bologna, she regained her Italian fluency. She spent her days exploring southern Italy and the Naples area with gusto. An avid student of art history, she particularly enjoyed the rich treasures and historical frescoes at Pompeii and Herculaneum, while learning to make limoncello from the lemon trees in her garden overlooking the Mediterranean.

In their golden years of retirement Sally and David purchased a summer home in southwestern France at a lock on the banks of the historic Canal du Midi, which links the Mediterranean and Atlantic. They enjoyed the spring and summer months there while spending falls and winters catching up with friends back in DC. Sally passed away while at their French home at age 77 on October 3, 2022 after many years exploring the rich culture and cuisine of Languedoc.

A funeral service for Sally will be held at 10:45 AM on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at Fort Myer Old Post Chapel with a burial to follow at Arlington National Cemetery. A celebration of her life will follow at her home in Arlington.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphyfuneralhomes.com for the Pabst family.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home

James Gregory Means (Age 63)
Memorial service info

James Gregory Means, age 62, died unexpectedly on February 5, 2023. A private service will be held on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at Murphy’s Funeral Home in Arlington, VA. Friends and colleagues are invited to join the family from 3-6 pm at Washington Golf and Country Club.

Born in Hampton, Arkansas on July 15, 1960, Greg later attended Little Rock Central High School and the University of Arkansas. He was preceded in death by his parents, J. L. Means, Jr. and Margie Nutt Means, of Hampton, Arkansas; his sister Paula Means Bailey and her son Atticus Bailey of Arlington, VA; and his grandparents, Jim and Mary Means, of Woodberry, Arkansas and Cecil and Izola Nutt of Hampton, Arkansas.

Left to mourn his passing are his beloved wife of nearly 30 years, Lisa Caroline Means and their sons James Julian and Anthony Patrick Means, all of Arlington, VA; brother-in-law James Bailey and his sons Avery and Dylan; sister Nancy Means Holley, her husband Ken, and their children Emma, Gage, and Henry of Texas; his aunt, uncle and cousins: Mike and Ann Nutt, Michael and Cheryl Nutt, and Christopher Nutt all of Hampton, Arkansas; and his in-laws Ann Moody, David Moody of Bothell, WA and Jonathan Moody of Surprise, AZ.

Like many inspired and ambitious young men, Greg packed up his meager belongings, piled them into his old clunker, and moved to Washington DC to work on Capitol Hill post-college. He spent the next ten years working on a variety of congressional campaigns and on Capitol Hill, culminating with his service as Chief of Staff for Rep. Dennis Eckart (D-OH). Upon leaving the Hill, Greg joined Duffy Wall and Associates, but in 1996 he opened a small lobbying practice with friends, which ultimately grew and transformed into the Alpine Group, a premier government affairs firm in Washington, DC.

As a founding principal of Alpine, his contributions went far beyond the external business of client work and firm management. Over time he became the firm’s ethos and provided generous mentorship to those fortunate enough to work alongside him. With his combination of quick wit, unflappable demeanor, brutal honesty, and razor-sharp mind, he was known by his friends and clients for being the first person one should call when faced with a challenge.

Outside of work, Greg was a member of the 116 Club and the Washington Golf and Country Club, where he served on its board for six years. Throughout his children’s young lives, he was a dedicated basketball coach in Arlington youth sports, known and respected by “the boys” for his guile, clever ball play, and “colorful” language.

Greg’s zest for life and all its adventures was boundless and he was a gifted story teller, always looking for his next victim to regale with his stories of growing up in small town Arkansas. His interests are too numerous to cite, but some favorites included his children and anything about their lives; Razorback sports; golf; gambling in all its forms; playing guitar; making queso for friends; The Who’s Quadrophenia album; playing cards; Monopoly as a blood sport; BBQ; fried okra; live music; and a great story. But mostly his life’s greatest pride, love and admiration was to his wife, Lisa.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Braylon Meade Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Arlington Community Foundation or the Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation. The family also extends its deep gratitude to the many friends, colleagues, and neighbors that have showered us with kindness for which we are eternally grateful.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home

Herbert Gray Chandler (Age 97)
Memorial service info

Herbert Gray Chandler, Jr. a decorated World War II combat infantryman who was deployed to Europe entering the port in Marseille, France in 1944 and fought for over 19 months in the European Theater of Operations campaigns in France and Germany, died early in the morning at home on February 10, 2023, of natural causes in Arlington, Virginia, age 97.

He was born early in the morning on December 2, 1925 in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the President’s House of the College of William & Mary, to Helen and Herbert G. Chandler Sr., while his Grandfather, Dr. Julian Alvin Carroll (J.A.C.) Chandler, resided there as the College’s 18th President. Later that evening, the Chandlers hosted an elegant dinner for the Governor of Virginia, at which his Mother, known as Hallie, attended. Years later, his Uncle, Adm. Alvin Duke Chandler, served as its 21st president.

In 1944, the enlisted Mr. Chandler completed basic infantry training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and then joined the 100th Infantry Division, 398th Regiment, nicknamed the “Sons of Bitche,” which took its name from the Battle of Bitche in western France.

He went ashore at Marseille as a combat infantryman in 1944 encountering uninterrupted ground combat for 189 days and was present during the Vosges Mountain campaign and went on to fight the brutal winter combat of the Battle of the Bitche. Action was so intense, that he and his comrades didn’t get a shower or change of clothes for three months. In March 1945, the 100th Infantry Division broke through the historic Maginot Line and captured the city of Bitche, liberating French towns along the way, they then moved on toward the Rhine River, which they crossed into Germany.

Discharged in 1946, he was awarded 3 campaign battle stars, the combat infantry badge, 2 Bronze Star Medals, and, in 2011, he received France’s highest military award, the Chevalier Legion of Honor. For his service, he also received the Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and his unit, 3rd Batallion, 398th Infantry Regiment division was twice awarded Presidential Unit Citation for Valor.

He enrolled at the College of William & Mary under the GI Bill of Rights and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1950. He went to New York City and earned an Associates in Management designation from the College of Insurance of New York City. He spent his entire career in the insurance industry and retired in 1992 as Vice President of Administration of a subsidiary of the Prudential Insurance Company in Mansfield, Ohio. He was on the Board of the Mansfield Symphony and the United Way, was a member of the 100th Infantry Division Association, the Sons of the American Revolution, and Kappa Alpha Order.

Survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Cynthia (Faul), his sisters-in-law, Georgianne Faul O’Connor, Leonora Spann Chandler, and Margaret H. Faul, several nieces and nephews and their children, and devoted caregivers, Hudah, Abdul, Millicent, Cissy, Josephine, Mariatu and Sam.

His funeral service will be on March 1st at 11 AM following the viewing at 10AM at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, Virginia, and at a private graveside service later on March 1, 2023 at the family plot at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

100th Infantry Division
Who loving life
Courted death
So that freedom
Could remain immortal

The following memorial event is planned.

Funeral Service
03/01/2023 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Murphy Funeral Home
4510 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, Virginia 22305

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home

ARLnow is now offering the publication of obituaries as a free public service.

Obituaries are published on the site on Saturday mornings and may be submitted for anyone with a connection to Arlington.

There are currently two ways to submit an obituary:

1. Via this form. Note that for verification purposes, you must submit a link to a memorial service or other published obituary.
2. Clients of Murphy Funeral Home may request that the obituary be submitted to ARLnow.

Publication of obituaries is offered free of charge, though submitters may also opt for extra promotion for an additional fee.

Other local funeral homes that wish to publish obituaries on behalf of clients can contact us for additional information (publication is free for both individuals and approved organizations.)

Joseph Robert Kapacziewski (Age 41)
Memorial service info

It is with a heavy heart we share the news that Joseph “Kap” Kapacziewski passed away on Sunday, January 22, 2023, at the age of 40 in Dripping Springs, Texas. He is survived by his beloved wife, Kimberly; his sons, Wyatt and Cody; his brother, Randy Kapacziewski; his sister, Erin Bourgoin; his mother, Lori Briglia; his grandparents, George and Alice Churchill and Thomas and Marge Haggarty. Joe was preceded in death by his father, William Kapacziewski, Jr.

Joe will be remembered as much for his high energy, unbelievable drive, and contagious smile as for his warrior spirit. Joe was a loving husband, father, and accomplished hunter. For those who had the honor of knowing him, an irreplaceable friend and mentor. He loved to work out and enjoyed time with his beloved dog, Brett.

Joe grew up in Bristol, Connecticut, and joined the United States Army in 2001. Joe served in the Army with distinction for over 15 years in 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Ranger Special Troops Battalion, and Regimental Headquarters Company.

After Joe was severely wounded in an ambush in Northern Iraq in 2005, he persevered through a difficult and lengthy recovery and overcame near-impossible odds to become the first Ranger to return to combat with a prosthetic leg. Joe continued to lead as a Squad Leader and Platoon Sergeant, ultimately deploying a total of 11 times in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

Joe’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, 2 Bronze Star Medals, 3 Purple Hearts, Meritorious Service Medal, 2 Army Commendation Medals with “V” device, 6 Army Achievement Medals, Afghanistan Service Medal, Iraqi Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (with Arrowhead), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Development Ribbon (with numeral 3), Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, the Army Good Conduct Medal (3rd Award), Ranger Tab, Senior Parachutist Badge (with Bronze Combat Jump Star), Expert Infantryman’s Badge, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

After retiring from the Army, Joe continued to serve his country and lead his brothers in arms up until the time of his passing.

Joe will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery and a private service will be held at that time.

In lieu of flowers, a fund has been set up to support the Kapacziewski family during this difficult time through the Valor Mission Project. Donations can be made at ValorMissionProject.org Checks can be made payable to Valor Mission Project, INC. and mailed to 5160 Tennyson Parkway, Suite 1000, Plano, TX, 75024. Please note “Joe Kap” on the donation.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home

James Stuart Edmonds (Age 84)
Memorial service info

James Stuart Edmonds of Arlington VA passed away on January 25th, 2023. He was 84 years old. Jim was born on June 4th, 1938 in Elmira, NY to Robert Mason Edmonds and Florence Hoff Edmonds. In the 1940’s his parents moved to the Edmonds family farm in the town of Benton, NY in the Finger Lakes. In 1955 Jim graduated from Penn Yan Academy and went on study Mechanical Engineering at Syracuse University. After graduating from Syracuse in 1959 he studied Applied Mathematics at the University of Michigan, earning a Master’s Degree in 1961. Jim moved to the Washington, DC area to work as a computer programmer for IBM where was employed for over 30 years working primarily at the Pentagon and CIA.

While at IBM he met his wife Yolanda Coppola and the two were married on January 13th, 1968 in Falls Church, VA. They then moved to Arlington where they raised their two sons.

During his undergraduate years at Syracuse Jim achieved in both academics and rowing. He was a member of the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society and in 1959 he and his crew represented the US at the Pan American games winning gold. After moving to Washington, DC he joined the Potomac Boat Club where he rowed competitively and earned a spot on the 1964 US Olympic Team. Jim continued at Potomac Boat Club in competition, volunteering on its board of governors and various committees, maintaining the house, rigging boats with expert precision, helping others to get the most out of rowing and making many lifelong friends.

Jim also had a great love of the outdoors and was a longtime member the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club where he volunteered much of his time maintaining trails and equipment. He frequently enjoyed hiking and canoeing with his family in the Shenandoah and Adirondack mountains, through which he instilled his lifelong appreciation for the outdoors and respect for nature in his children and their peers.

Jim will be remembered for his dependability and dedication to his friends and family including being a caregiver to his ill wife during the past 11 years. His clarity of thought and dry wit will not be forgotten, however he will be remembered above all else for his humility.

Jim is survived by his wife Yolanda of 54 years, his two sons Eric of Alexandria, VA and Marc of Arlington, VA, his brother Robert John “Jack” Edmonds of Phoenix, AZ and his nieces Christine (Tim) Hall of Mount Dora, FL and Sonja Liotti of Arlington. He is also survived by several other nieces, nephews and cousins. Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his sister Nancy E. Lent.

A gathering followed by a memorial service for Jim will be held at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 22203, on Friday February 3rd, 2023 from 1-4pm. In lieu of flowers please donate to a charity of your choice.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home, Arlington

William Dinwiddie Tucker (Age 95)

Lt. Col. William Dinwiddie “Bill” Tucker USAF (Ret.), 94, of Arlington, Virginia, passed away peacefully on January 18, 2023. Bill, son of the late Hubert Quinton Tucker, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Carpenter Tucker, was born in Washington, DC, on October 5, 1928.

Bill was raised in Washington, DC, and graduated from Central High School in 1948. He attended the University of Maryland – College Park, where he was a Track & Field athlete competing in middle distance and hurdles, a football player, a wrestler and a member of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree (Dean’s List) in Physical Education in 1953.

In 1950, Bill went to Missoula, Montana, to train as a smokejumper, an elite group of fewer than 6,000 members. He was active for three seasons in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and had ten practice jumps and jumped into and fought nine forest fires. One such fire was immortalized in the article “I Jump into Hell,” published in the October 1955 issue of Cavalier magazine, where he was part of a team struggling to get their wounded colleague out of the forest. Bill can also be seen in the 1952 film “Red Skies of Montana,” working alongside Richard Widmark and Jeffrey Hunter. Until recently, Bill returned periodically to Montana for smokejumper reunions where he would work on clearing trails and reminisce over cold bottles of Moose Drool beer with his friends.

In 1953, Bill joined the USAF Reserves, transitioning to active duty in 1961. He served as a USAF Military Pilot and Aircraft Commander with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Hurricane Hunters) at Ramey AFB in Puerto Rico. In Vietnam, Bill served as a Pilot and Instructor flying C-123s and C-130s on transport and defoliation missions. After the war ended, Bill went back into the USAF Reserves, working at Andrews AFB with the 459th Congressional Wing until he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1979.

His military decorations were many and include the Air Force Commendation, an Air Medal with ten Oak Leaf Clusters (one for Hurricane Hunting and nine for his service in Vietnam, with each Cluster for Vietnam representing five combat missions) and the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross notes how Bill successfully completed a high priority mission despite his aircraft sustaining significant damage. He also flew a number of transport missions during the Battle of Khe Sanh.

While stationed at Ramey AFB, Bill met the love of his life, Jeanne McCoy, who was teaching on the base. Bill and Jeanne married on August 31, 1968, in Elyria, OH. The couple eventually settled in Arlington, VA, where they lived in Bill’s family home. They remained happily married for 53 years until Jeanne’s death in 2021.

His love of horses began in his youth, leading him to be a trainer, to play polo and to ride in the Rappahannock Hunt. He was a member of the Blacksmith Guild of the Potomac, and an avid collector of U.S. Calvary memorabilia, with many of these artifacts being featured in the U.S. Calvary Museum in Fort Riley, Kansas. One of Bill’s greatest joys was spending time down at “the cabin,” his family property in Culpeper, Virginia.

Bill will be greatly missed and remembered fondly.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife Jeanne McCoy Tucker, and his brothers Dr. Hubert Quinton Tucker, Jr. and Joseph Travis “Joe” Tucker, Sr. He is survived by his sister, Mary Frances Tucker Fannon, as well as many loving nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and a great-great niece.

Bill will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, with the interment and a memorial service to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the National Smokejumper Association, https://smokejumpers.com.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home

Monica Rosas Dominguez (Age 17)
Memorial service info

Monica, 17 years old, passed away on Saturday, January 14th, after multiple years of battling with anxiety, depression, and a severe eating disorder.

Monica had many interests such as being a member of girl scouts since kindergarten, rec soccer, Mexican Folk dance, volunteering at the pet shelter to help feed the cats, and cooking delicious meals/pastries for her loved ones. She had also been a member of St. Ann Catholic Church where she contributed as an altar server during the Spanish mass.

>> Donation link

The following memorial events are planned.

Visitation
01/23/2023 from 4-8 p.m.
Everly Funeral Home
6161 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, Virginia 22044

Mass of Christian Burial
01/24/2023 from 11 a.m.-noon
Saint Ann Catholic Church
5300 10th St N.
Arlington, Virginia 22205

Lisa Stolaruk (Age 66)

Lisa J. Stolaruk died quietly at home in Arlington, VA on Jan. 1, 2023. She was 65.

She is survived by her husband, Mark B. English, her brother Fred Stolaruk and sister-in-law Kathy Stolaruk, and their son Jason Stolaruk, her brother-in-law Jeffrey English and mother-in law Grace English.

Lisa was born on Feb. 25, 1957 in Royal Oaks, Michigan, and grew up in Detroit, the daughter of John and Lena Stolaruk, both deceased.

A graduate of American University, she held several top-ranking positions with the federal government. Her last position before retiring was as congressional liaison for DEA-DOJ.

Lisa and Mark married in September 1997.

She was a longtime member of St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C., her beautiful soprano voice enhancing the choir and services.

She was passionate about animal rescue and spent many hours at Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in Fairfax Station, VA., to support pet adoptions, and at Best Friends, an animal sanctuary in southwestern Utah. Lisa loved to travel and traveled the world extensively, both for business and pleasure. She facilitated the transfer of Soi dogs from Thailand to the United States for adoption and to save them from the meat trade in Asia multiple times.

Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 11 am, at St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral, 3500 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., in Washington, D.C., with a repast meal to follow in the parish hall.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Homeward Trails Animal Rescue.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-funeralhomes.com for the Stolaruk family.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home, Arlington

Long-time local developer, civic leader and philanthropist Preston Caruthers has died.

Caruthers passed away on New Year’s Day at the age of 95.

Dubbed “Mr. Arlington” for “his tireless work to enhance the quality of life of his fellow residents,” Caruthers served in the Navy during World War II and then spent his life building, volunteering and donating.

His “contributions to the Arlington skyline include Dominion Towers, Shawnee and Rosslyn’s Ames Building,” the Falls Church News-Press’ Charlie Clark wrote in a 2015 biographical article. He made significant donations to the Virginia Hospital Center Foundation, Marymount University, Shenandoah University, and the David M. Brown Planetarium, among other institutions.

Caruthers also volunteered and served on numerous boards, including the Arlington School Board, the Virginia State Board of Education and the George Mason University Board of Visitors.

In 2007 Caruthers received the Arlington Community Foundation Spirit of Community Award. Ten years later, he was honored by the Virginia state legislature with the following joint resolution.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 13, 2017
Agreed to by the Senate, January 16, 2017

WHEREAS, Preston C. Caruthers, a patriotic veteran and a successful entrepreneur, has supported and strengthened the Arlington community through his generosity and visionary leadership; and

WHEREAS, a native of Oklahoma, Preston Caruthers learned the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age as a child of the Great Depression, supporting his family through part-time summer jobs and by working on his uncle’s farm; and

WHEREAS, Preston Caruthers attended Will Rogers High School before he joined many of the other young men of his generation in service to the nation during World War II; as a member of the United States Navy, he served in the Pacific theater of the war; and

WHEREAS, after his honorable military service, Preston Caruthers returned to the United States, continued his education at George Washington University, and founded a construction business, which thrived thanks to his charisma, business acumen, and industrious nature; and

WHEREAS, Preston Caruthers’ company completed residential homes and communities, apartments, and commercial parks and office buildings; his proudest accomplishment was the creation of Belmont Bay, a unique waterfront community at the confluence of the Occoquan River and Potomac River; and

WHEREAS, after settling in Arlington, Preston Caruthers became a pillar of the community, holding leadership positions on the boards of the First Bank of Virginia, The Nature Conservancy, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Arlington Hospital Foundation and supporting the National Museum of the United States Army, the Virginia Hospital Center Foundation, and Marymount University; and

WHEREAS, Preston Caruthers was deeply committed to lifelong learning and worked to instill that passion in the youth of the community as a member of the Arlington County School Board and through leadership positions at George Mason University, the Virginia State Board of Education, and the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges; and

WHEREAS, in 2007, Preston Caruthers received the Arlington Community Foundation Spirit of Community Award, and he earned the nickname “Mr. Arlington” for his tireless work to enhance the quality of life of his fellow residents; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Preston C. Caruthers for his work as a developer, philanthropist, and community advocate; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Preston C. Caruthers for his decades of exceptional service to the residents of Arlington and the Commonwealth.

Caruthers was married to wife Jeanne for 66 years prior to her death in 2015, according to a past Sun Gazette article. They had five children, all raised locally.

Memorial service plans have so far not been announced publicly. Clark tells ARLnow that he’s working on an obituary for Caruthers, to be published later this week.

Update at 12:45 p.m. — Marymount University just released the following statement from President Irma Becerra.

Preston Caruthers was a valued and longtime friend of Marymount University. He was a true counselor and major philanthropic supporter, and we are honored to have a building named in his honor on campus. He greatly valued education in general, and private education and Marymount in particular. In fact, through his efforts Marymount joined the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, a group supporting scholarships for private institutions in Virginia — and our involvement continues to this day. He will be missed dearly, but we are truly blessed to continue our relationship with the Caruthers family.