Henry Mackenzie Jr.

Henry W. MacKenzie Jr. PORTSMOUTH - The Honorable Henry William MacKenzie Jr., 99, died Oct. 5, 2009. Judge MacKenzie, a native of Portsmouth, was the son of the late Henry W. MacKenzie and Clara Ashton MacKenzie. He graduated from the Portsmouth Public Schools and received his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University where he was a member of Kappa Alpha social fraternity and Omicron Delta Kappa, in recognition of his leadership at the university. Judge MacKenzie also received his law degree from W&L in 1932. He was in the private practice of law in Portsmouth before being appointed as an associate judge of the circuit courts for Princess Anne County, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth in 1956. He was then named a judge of the newly created Circuit Court for the City of Portsmouth in 1960. He retired from the bench in 1974, but could be found every day at his office in the Portsmouth Circuit Court Building until 2006. During World War II, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy aboard several ships in both the Mediterranean and South Pacific. He was a member of the American Bar Assn., Pyramid Club of Norfolk, Rotary Club, and the Huguenot Society of South Carolina. He was a lifelong member of St. John's Episcopal Church where he had served on the vestry and also as a warden and trustee. He was appointed by Judge Merhige as a founding trustee of the Virginia Environmental Endowment. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Caroline Jones MacKenzie, and his sisters, Martha M. Clark and Clara M. Jernigan. He is survived by his two daughters, Sophie M. Belouet and family of Paris, France, and Clara M. Smiley and family of Dallas, Texas; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his brother, the Honorable John Ashton MacKenzie and his sister, Theodosia M. Adair, both of Portsmouth. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. John's Episcopal Church by the Rev. Julia Dorsey Loomis. Burial will be private in Cedar Grove Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. John's Episcopal Church, 424 Washington St., Portsmouth, VA 23704, or Washington & Lee University School of Law, Lewis Hall, Lexington, VA 24450, Attn: Elizabeth Branner. Foster Funeral Home, Portsmouth, is handling arrangements.