Dorothy Buck Boucher

Dorothy Buck Boucher, 84, prominent Abingdon attorney, passed away on Wednesday, January 21, 2009, at her home in Abingdon, Va., in the loving company of family and caregivers after a brief illness. She is survived by her son, Rick Boucher, of Abingdon; her daughter, Anne Boucher Harrington, of Manassas, Va., by her grandchildren, Rebecca Harrington, of Manassas, and George Harrington III, of Radford, Va. Mrs. Boucher is the daughter of the late Fred C. Buck and Mattie Dyer Buck, of Abingdon. Her husband, Ralph E. Boucher, predeceased her in 1981.
After graduating with honors from Virginia Intermountain College, Emory and Henry College and the University of Virginia School of Law, she was admitted to the bar for the practice of law in 1946 at age 21 and practiced continuously until her retirement in August of last year. Mrs. Boucher was one of the first women to practice law in Southwest Virginia and the first to practice in Washington County and the general region.
She became Commissioner of Accounts for Washington County in 1950 and served in that position for 58 years until her retirement last year.
She led a full and varied life. While raising a family and engaging in an active law practice, she was deeply committed to and involved in public service.
For a combined total of 62 years, she was a member of the Town of Abingdon Planning Commission and the town's Board of Architectural Review, having served as chairman of both bodies at various times. During her tenure, Abingdon's historic zoning ordinance, which is broadly credited with spurring the community's tourism economy, was drafted and adopted under her supervision.
While declining frequent requests to seek elective office, she was deeply involved in the political process, serving as a member and chairman of the Washington County Democratic Committee.
Her civic involvement included membership in Kappa Delta legal fraternity; the Mattie Roundtree Stevenson Women's Club, of which for a time she served as president; founding member of the Washington County Preservation Foundation Board; the Washington County Historical Society; the American Association of University Women, Abingdon branch; the Washington County Electoral Board and the local advisory board for Virginia National Bank, which she chaired. She was a member of the Abingdon United Methodist Church.
In 1997 she was admitted to the Book of Lives and the Legacies of the National Women's Hall of Fame in Schenectady, N.Y. She is listed in Who's Who of American Women and in Personalities of the South.
She was a loving wife and mother to her two children who were the priorities in her life.
A private service will be held for Dorothy Boucher.
The family of Dorothy Boucher requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory be made to Second Harvest Food Bank, Abingdon Branch, P.O. Box 2579, Abingdon, Va. 24212; the Historical Society of Washington County, P.O. Box 484, Abingdon, Va. 24212; or Emory and Henry College, Emory, Va. 24327.
Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so at www.farrisfuneralservice.com.
The Main Street Chapel of Farris Funeral Service is serving the family of Dorothy Buck Boucher.