Harry Watkey Easterly Jr.

Harry Watkey Easterly Jr., a native and resident of Richmond, died Thursday, June 16, 2005 after a long illness. He was 82. He leaves his long suffering wife of 62 years, Mary Blanton Easterly. He also leaves two sons, two daughters, 10 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a beloved bichon frise. His parents were Catharine Tighe Easterly and Harry Watkey Easterly Sr., who came to the Richmond area during the First World War. His status as an only child was not a cause of concern. His lifelong love and preoccupation was golf. The integrity, honesty and fair play of golf informed his character and radiated from him. He was a skilled practitioner and won both the Richmond City Championship and the Championship of the Country Club of Virginia many times. He competed many years for the State Championship and in numerous interstate team competitions. The administration of golf organizations, running golf competitions, and, writing and applying the rules of golf became a focus in his middle years, though he remained a competitive player almost until the end. After playing a golf course only one time, he retained a permanent memory of every hole. He was the president of the Virginia State Golf Association, and later, president of the United States Golf Association. He threatened to violate the 14 club rule: he was a member of the Country Club of Virginia, Pine Valley Country Club, Augusta National, the Royal and Ancient of St. Andrews, Scotland, Muirfield, Ballybunion, as well as others. Because of his devotion to golf, he wanted people from every station of life to love it as well. He mentored and inspired several generations of golfers in the many areas of that game that absorbed him. He entered St. Christopher's School as a fourth grade scholarship student, and graduated in 1940. He attended the Virginia Military Institute, where he was the president of the Class of 1944. His education was interrupted by service with the United States Marine Corps, where he saw service in the Pacific on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He worked for many years as a business executive, first at Concrete Pipe and Products Company, and later in the securities industry with J. C. Wheat & Company, now Wachovia. He was an enthusiastic amateur historian, particularly interested in the initial settlement of Richmond and he did original research on the ground and through the Virginia State Library. Civil War history was also an area of intense interest. After reading that Japanese infantrymen were required to complete a fifty-mile hike, he performed that feat on two occasions. Throughout his life, he was the linchpin of diverse eleemosynary pursuits, which included the Richmond City Planning Commission, the Retarded Childrens' Association, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Westminster Canterbury, and the Independence Golf Club. Through his charitable work, he demonstrated his firm belief that, "what we keep, we lose, and only what we give remains our own." He is survived by his wife; his daughters, Natalie Easterly and Tighe Antrim of Richmond; his sons, Harry Easterly M.D. of Sturbridge, Mass. and Frank Easterly of Richmond; his grandchildren, Jason Easterly of Fort Meade, Md., Kate Easterly of Washington, D.C., Doris Glenn Richards of New York City, Rachel Gagen of Augusta, Ga., Mary Antrim of Washington, D.C., Key Easterly of Richmond, Noah Easterly of Silver Spring, Md., Bettie Antrim of Washington, D.C., Emily Easterly of Richmond and Hugh Antrim of Richmond; and great-grandchildren, Jet Easterly and Scarlett Richards. Among the bereaved is his helper, Clarice Woolridge. A memorial service will be held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, 2005. Burial is private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Stephen's Church, St. Christopher's School, VMI or the Independence Golf Club.