Michie Thomas J.

Thomas Johnson Michie, a resident of Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge, died on August 27, 2019, following a gradual decline due to Alzheimer's. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Molly Ingle Michie, on July 2, 1979, and by his second wife, Janet Johnson Michie, on September 4, 2005. Thomas J. Michie was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 12, 1931, the son of Judge Thomas Johnson Michie IV and Cordelia Ruffin Michie. He moved to Norfolk, Virginia in 1942. He graduated from Woodberry Forest School in 1949, Trinity College in 1953, and UVA School of Law in 1956. He then served three years of active duty in the Navy as a law specialist. He remained in the Naval Reserve for over 20 years, retiring as a commander. Tom joined his father's law firm in the fall of 1959 and later became Senior Partner of the firm that is now Michie Hamlett, retiring in 2003. While in the practice of law, he came to concentrate on wills, trusts, and estates. He was a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and served as President of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association. He served on the Virginia Judicial Council Standing Committee on Commissioners of Accounts for over 10 years. Tom chaired the Senior Lawyers Section of the Virginia State Bar as well as the Virginia Bar Association Select Committee on financial abuse of the elderly. In recognition for services to the Bar and public, he was invited to join the Virginia Law Foundation. Tom was appointed to the Charlottesville School Board in 1965 and served until his election to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1970. During that time, the Charlottesville School Board became a rare exception in the south, voluntarily taking steps to fully integrate the school system by changing district boundaries. The Board also established kindergarten, upgraded the quality of education for all students, built Jackson-Via Elementary and CATEC (with Albemarle County Schools), and began planning for the new Charlottesville High School. "Landslide Michie" won the 1970 special election to the House by just one vote. He vowed "to triple his margin of victory" in the next election and, in fact, more than kept his promise. Early in his time in the House of Delegates, Tom authored Virginia's first effective child abuse reporting statute, which exponentially increased identification of potentially abused children. He was one of only 10 House members out of 100 to vote against a resolution aimed at preventing localities from using busing to achieve desegregation, and he was a full supporter of ratification of the ERA. One of Tom's major legislative achievements, which passed after seven years of his persistent efforts, was a set of bills aimed at improving city-county relationships and reducing annexation battles in court. The package of bills greatly increased state aid to cities and counties for necessary services such as courts and law enforcement. The bills also allocated state health and road funding more equitably between cities and counties. Increasing state funding to localities lowered the need for cities to resort to annexation of county lands, and a key piece of the legislation allowed cities and counties to reach revenue-sharing agreements in lieu of annexation. Many localities took advantage of the new laws to avoid annexation lawsuits, including Charlottesville/Albemarle, Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania County, Williamsburg/James City County, Lexington/Rockbridge County, Lynchburg/Campbell County, and Franklin City/Isle of Wight County. Tom was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1980. In the Senate, he secured passage for numerous measures dealing with child support enforcement, all-terrain vehicle safety, and assisted conception. He and Delegate Cohen won hard-fought passage of the Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act, the first legislation passed by a major cigarette-producing state to create indoor smoking-free zones. During Tom's political career, one fellow legislator, when asked by a reporter, described him as "just a darn good delegate"; another delegate wrote, "He is above all a statesman." Longtime Daily Progress columnist George Bowles wrote in 1979, "Somebody once said, 'A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman, of the next generation.' He must have had Tom Michie in mind." Bob Gibson wrote an article about Tom's effectiveness as a leader, entitled "Quiet Thomas J. Michie 'Non-Political' Politician." Tom was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1991, in no small part due to NRA efforts in retaliation for his support of a bill to ban assault weapon sales in Virginia. In his concession speech, Tom said, "People often call me 'shy and retiring,' and tonight it is certainly true: I'm shy of votes and retiring from politics." Tom has long been active in community charitable associations, serving on the boards of organizations such as Jefferson Area Board for Aging, United Way, Charlottesville Housing Foundation (later Piedmont Housing Alliance), Planned Parenthood, and Camp Holiday Trails. He also served on the board and was president of the congregation of Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church, Unitarian-Universalist. In his private life, Tom greatly enjoyed nature, including canoeing, hiking, and gardening. After his retirement, he became an accomplished watercolor landscape painter. He was a loving husband to Molly and Jan and a terrific father, stepfather, grandfather, and step-grandfather. He kept his strong sense of humor (often self-deprecating) until the very last days of his life. He is survived by his four sons, Thomas J. Michie VI (Laura), John I. Michie (Anne), Edmund "Ned" R. Michie (Karen), and George R. B. Michie (Miette). He is also survived by his stepchildren, Julie Schrank Luhrsen, H. Paul Schrank (Mary), Elizabeth E. Schrank, and Allison S. Babcock (Luke). He is survived by five grandchildren, Thomas VII, Christina, Louisa, Jack, and Molly; and five step-grandchildren, Matthew, Erin, Sam, Stallard, and Lily. Also surviving him are sisters, Cordelia M. Plunkett and Emily M. Gennari (John); half sister, Virginia M. Broache (Doug); and stepsisters, Simonetta C. Forsyth and Helen C. Clevenger (Ed). Tom greatly enjoyed his time at Westminster. His family would like to express its appreciation to the Westminster staff, to his good friend Sally Paschal, and to his longtime helper and friend Robert "Buddy" Leffers Jr. A memorial service will be held at Westminster-Canterbury on Saturday afternoon, October 5, 2019. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer's Association, 355 Rio Rd. W., Suite 102, Charlottesville, VA 22901, to one of Tom's favorite charities, such as United Way of the Thomas Jefferson Area, 806 E. High St., Charlottesville, VA 22902, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, 919 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA 22903, Jefferson Area Board for Aging, 674 Hillsdale Dr., Suite 9, Charlottesville, 22901, or to a charity of your choice. Condolences may be sent to his family at www.hillandwood.com.