Harvey Rawls

Harvey P. Rawls VIRGINIA BEACH - Our father, Harvey Pretlow Rawls, MD, 82, went to be with his Lord on Sunday, April 25, 2010. Harvey was born in Suffolk on May 27, 1927 to the late Dr. Japheth Edward and Mrs. Emma Holland Rawls. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Margaret Lucille Rawls; his brothers, Dr. Charles Rawls and Dr. Japheth Rawls Jr.; his sisters, Ann Newman, Mary Sue Parker, Emmaline Bentley and Marcella Saeker; a stepson, Michael Swider, and the mother of his children, Marie Louise Edgar. Left to cherish his memory are his sister, Margaret Bullard of Mebane, N.C.; his children, the Honorable Deborah L. Rawls of Virginia Beach, Dr. Harvey P. Rawls Jr. of Virginia Beach and Dr. William H. Rawls and his wife Susan of Norfolk; grandchildren, William M. Hutchens III, Harvey P. Rawls III, Guy Edward Rawls, Virginia Frances Rawls, William H. Rawls Jr. and David Edward Rawls; stepdaughter-in-law and caregiver, Rosemary Swider; stepson, John Swider; and his faithful companion, Buddy. After proudly serving his country in World War II, Harvey attended Elon College in North Carolina and graduated from The Medical College of Virginia in 1952 as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He served his internship at Norfolk General Hospital from 1952 until 1953 and completed his residency in urology at the Medical School of the University of Virginia in 1956. He was certified by the American Board of Urology in 1961, became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1976 and was a member of the American Medical Association until his retirement. He was also a member of the Norfolk Rotary Club and the Norfolk Academy of Medicine. Our dad enjoyed a 40-year medical practice in Tidewater, beginning with his association with the late Dr. John Hill as Hill and Rawls Urology in Norfolk in 1956, and then as a founding partner of Hill, Rawls and O'Connor, then Hill, Rawls, Gallo and Mosquera, Rawls, Gallo, Drucker and Gonzalez, and finally Urology Associates of Tidewater from which he retired in 1992. His practice continues today as Urology of Virginia. Many thousands of patients in our community benefited from his well-known medical and surgical skills, as well as his kindly bedside manner. In addition to his medical practice, Dad's big passion in life was the time he spent deep sea fishing out of Rudee Inlet, Oregon Inlet and Palm Beach, Fla. on his boats, the Faircee I, II, III, IV and V. He loved nothing more than being out on the ocean and hooking a big billfish, whether in a tournament or with family, and he reveled in teaching each of his children and his grandchildren all about boats, fishing and the sea. The funeral will be held at 3 p.m. today at our father's church home of 40 years, Hyde Park Free Will Baptist Church, Norfolk, the Rev. Terry Beck officiating. Burial will follow in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk, followed by a reception at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Great Neck Chapel, Virginia Beach, is in charge. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hyde Park Free Will Baptist Church, Elon University or a charity of your choice. We will miss you Dad and will always remember you with a smile and a kind word.