Edgar Vick Stephenson Jr.

STEPHENSON, Edgar Vick Jr., died on Sunday, November 2, 2008 after a long illness. Born December 5, 1920, in the Berlin community of Southampton County, he was the son of Edgar Vick and Eleanor Daughtrey Stephenson and a lifelong resident of Ivor. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Ellen Hudgins Stephenson; and three children, Julia S. Tyler and husband, Bob, of Mechanicsville, Va., Martha S. Barry and husband, Bob, of Virginia Beach, Va., and Thomas E. (Ned) Stephenson and wife, Susan, of Tappahannock, Va.; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild also survive him, Ann Pietrantoni and husband, Jim, of Powhatan, Va., David B. Davis, wife, Jan, and son, Justin, of Ruther Glen, Va., Carolyn Gosse and husband, Alec, of Charlottesville, Va., Claire Stephenson of Denver, Colo., Laura Barry and Emily Barry of Virginia Beach, Va. Shortly after graduating from Ivor High School in 1938 and completing a preparatory program at Fork Union Military Academy in 1939, Mr. Stephenson began his service in the U.S. Army in 1942, spending three years in England and France, where he participated in the landing on Omaha Beach and the liberation of Paris. A gentleman first and foremost, Mr. Stephenson enjoyed a long professional career, enhanced by his skills as negotiator, moderator, salesman, and maker of friends. Though his first endeavors were as a retail merchant in grocery and appliance sales, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to become a life insurance agent and then broker. He also served as a Director of the Bank of Suffolk and was a charter member of the Board of Directors of James River Bankshares. At the time of his retirement, he was a partner in the Nurney-Stephenson Insurance Agency in Suffolk, Va. Recognition for his many abilities came as he was named Man of the Year by the Portsmouth/Suffolk Board of Realtors in 1994. He was also elected to the Board of Trustees of Fork Union Military Academy in 1983 and was a Trustee Emeritus at the time of his death. In addition to his family and work, Mr. Stephenson's other great joys were the work of his church and the well-being of his community. His love of people will always be remembered. Through the years, he served in many capacities at both his home church, Millfield Baptist, and his current one, Ivor Baptist, where he was named Honorary Deacon Emeritus in 2000. He also served as moderator of the Blackwater Association of Virginia Baptist Churches for four years and represented that association on the Virginia Baptist General Board for two terms. Mr. Stephenson also took an active role in his community as a member of the Ivor Town Council, trustee of the Ivor Volunteer Rescue Squad, member and president of the Ivor Ruritan Club and later as member of the Wakefield Ruritan Club. To Mr. Stephenson's nurses for their devoted care and to his many, many friends for their faithful visits and prayers during the last five years, the family wishes to express its deepest gratitude. The family will receive friends at the Purviance Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home, in Wakefield, Va., from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. A final service will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 2008, at 2 p.m., at Millfield Baptist Church in Wakefield, Va., with the Rev. Lytle Buckingham officiating. Interment will be in the Ivor Cemetery immediately following. Memorial tributes may be made to either Millfield Baptist Church, 31389 Millfield Road, Wakefield, Va. 23888, or to Ivor Baptist Church, 8506 Bell Ave., Ivor, Va. 23866-3132. Condolences may be posted at www.jtmorriss.com.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.