E. Randolph Hevener Sr.

E. Randolph Hevener Sr. E. Randolph Hevener Sr., died on Friday, April 27, 2012, at Stuarts Draft Retirement Community, where he had been a resident for almost two years.

He was born on June 15, 1918, in Blue Grass, Virginia, a son of the late William and Laura Mae Mullenax Hevener.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Pauline; their infant son, John William; his sisters and their husbands, Rizpah (Mrs. John) Hammer, Dorothy (Mrs. Merle) Thomas; his brother, William and his wife, Alma Simmons Hevener; and his niece, Mary Hammer Shumate Dixon.

He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Dorothy Don and Ray Davis of Staunton, their daughter, Suzanne Davis and her husband, Collin Ganio, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, their son, Matthew and his wife, Molly Gaskins Davis, and their children, Cooper, Graham, and Caroline of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; his daughter, Suzanne Kennedy and her sons, Allen R. and Keith A. Kennedy, all of Harrisonburg; and his son, Edmund R. Jr. and his wife, Sandy Coukouma Hevener, of Bluegrass, their daughter, Amanda Hevener and partner, Benjamin Hooks, of Charlottesville, and their son, E. Randolph Hevener III and partner, Jennifer Armstrong, and their son, Joseph, of Staunton. Also surviving are a niece, Dorothy J. "Dotty" Thomas of Milroy, Indiana; and nephew, William "Bill" and wife, Lydia Duke Hevener of New Bern, North Carolina; and two great-nieces to whom he was especially close, Laura Shumate Plecker and her husband, Jim, of Waynesboro, and Carla Shumate Tinsley and her husband, Daryl, of Swoope, and their children. Mr. Hevener was a founding member of Oak Hill Methodist Church, Waynesboro, where he taught the adult Sunday School class for many years. He enjoyed and participated in church activities, including taking care of church property well into his 80's. He managed Waynesboro Landscape Service and Garden Center for nearly 30 years until his retirement. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as a gunnery instructor and helped develop an improved shell loading mechanism which was patented by the Navy. He was a fine craftsman and made many pieces of beautiful walnut furniture for his home and family. He was also an outdoorsman who especially enjoyed fishing and hunting. A memorial service will be conducted 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, 2012, by the Reverend Michael Pettry. Burial will be private. The family will receive friends from 7 until 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at McDow Funeral Home, Waynesboro. Memorial donations may be made to the Highland County Historical Society. The family would like to thank Drs. Christopher Heck and Dennis Hatter, and the staff of Stuarts Draft Retirement Community for their compassionate and expert care for our father. Condolences and memories may be shared online at www.mcdowfuneralhomeinc.com.



This obituary was originally published in the News Virginian.