William Dodge Havens Jr.

WILLIAMSBURG - Bill Havens, Jr. (94), Williamsburg, Virginia, born January 29, 1919 in Washington, D.C. to William D. Havens, Sr. and Ruby Nothy Havens, passed away May 5, 2013. He married Virginia "Ginny" Brune Havens in 1946. He attended Washington-Lee High School and George Washington University where he was an outstanding athlete excelling in football, boxing, track, swimming, and wrestling. Bill gained national acclaim in canoeing at age 16 when he finished third in the 1936 Olympic trials to become an alternate on the U.S. Olympic Team. He went on to win many national championships in canoeing and was named to the 1940 and 1944 U.S. Olympic Teams though both the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War II. In 1941 Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps where he served as a radio operator on C47 aircraft and rose to the rank of Sergeant. After WWII he continued competitive canoeing and was named to the 1948 U.S. Olympic Team, finishing fifth in the London Olympic Games. He resided for many years in Vienna, Virginia where he served as an Arlington County elementary school teacher and then as a school principal for Thomas Jefferson Junior High and Ashlawn Elementary. He retired to Manteo, NC where he enjoyed crabbing, fishing, gardening, and paddling on the Roanoke Sound. He and Ginny ultimately moved back to Virginia in 1999 to the Chambrel retirement community in Williamsburg. He continued to compete in Senior Olympics and World Master Games well into his eighties. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Ginny Havens of Williamsburg, VA; his brother, Frank Havens of Harborton, VA; his three sons and daughters-in-law, W. Dodge Havens, III and Jo Carol (Richmond, VA), Keith Havens and Sue (Deer Lodge, TN), and Kirk Havens and Karla (Plainview, VA); and five grandchildren, Zaak, Ben, Zane, Katie, and Kade. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Hospice House & Support Care of Williamsburg, 4445 Powhatan Parkway, Williamsburg, VA 23188. Online condolences may be expressed at www.nelsencares.com.