Joseph H. Scales

SCALES, Joseph H., of Greenville, S.C., formerly of Fife, Va., in Goochland County, went to be with his Lord on December 27, 2008. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Roselle Faulconer Scales; and his daughter, Mary Scales Lawson. He was predeceased by the premature death of a daughter, Grace Scales Yoder of Fairfax, Va. He is survived by Mary's husband, Dr. Jeffrey G. Lawson of Greenville and by Grace's husband, Joe Yoder of Oakton, Va. He is also survived by Joe Yoder's wife, Patty; and by four grandchildren and two stepgrandchildren, Roselle Lawson Bonnoitt of Greenville, S.C., Margaret Lawson Meadows of Jacksonville, Fla., Joseph Scales Lawson of Charlottesville, Va., Caroline Yoder of Nashville, Tenn. and Madeline Yoder and Grace Yoder of Oakton, Va. He is also survived by two sisters, Grace Scales Evans of Ellicott City, Md. and Ann Scales Sims of Cascade, Va. He had a brother, Edgar Forrest Scales; and a sister, Elizabeth Scales DeShazo, who predeceased him. Mr. Scales served his country in World War II as a Pacific based pilot in the U.S. Air Corps. His professional occupation was that of a conservationist. He worked 29 years as District Conservationist in Goochland, Albemarle, Fluvanna and Powhatan Counties of Virginia for the United States Department of Agriculture. He was one of the first to pass the Virginia State soil scientist exam. After retirement, he established a private consulting firm dealing with the practice of soil and water conservation. He designed many of the lakes in Goochland and the surrounding area. He served as Sunday school superintendent and was an elder at Byrd Presbyterian Church, Goochland, Va. He was a delegate to the General Assembly in 1974 for the Presbytery of the James. He was a member of the Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia. He was a founding member and served as President of the Goochland Historical Society. He also served as President of the Goochland Farm Bureau and the Ruritan Club. He was on the Goochland Board of Zoning Appeals for 12 years and after his retirement from government service, served the County as a Soil District Supervisor. He also helped with the initial fundraising for the Goochland YMCA. Through the years Mr. Scales received many awards and commendations. In 1974-75, the Monacan Soil and Water Conservation District recognized him as largely responsible for its winning first place in the Goodyear Conservation Award. In 1985, he was chosen to be the Grand Marshall in the Goochland Day Parade. In 2005, following his move from Goochland to Greenville to be nearer his daughter and medical facilities, the Goochland Historical Society and the Goochland Garden club honored him and his wife with a reception and the presentation of a tray on which was engraved, "Joseph H. and Roselle F. Scales - In grateful appreciation for your devotion to and active involvement in the life of Goochland County, Va. for more than 50 years." That year the Goochland County Historical Society dedicated their magazine to Mr. and Mrs. Scales and featured their accomplishments for Goochland in an accompanying article. Born in Cascade, Va., on March 21, 1922, he was the son of Grace Fitts and Joseph Harry Scales. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute prior to World War II. After the war, he completed his studies and graduated from the University of Virginia. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Byrd Presbyterian Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 655, Goochland, Va. 23063. Visitation will be at Norman's Funeral Home in Goochland on Tuesday, December 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. and funeral services at Byrd Presbyterian Church at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 31 followed by interment at the church cemetery.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.