James Halsey Towe

Dr. James Halsey Towe was born on Seymore Johnson Air Force base in Goldsboro, North Carolina on Labor Day, 1963 To Dr. James Luther Towe and Eleanore Craig Towe.
Jim was a 1981 Graduate of Loudoun Valley High school and an enthusiastic Viking Alumnus. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Richmond in 1985 and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1988, passing the Bar exam in April of 1989. In 1994, Jim graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk with a MD, and completed a 3 year family practice residency at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond. He joined his father, Dr. James Luther Towe, in Family practice in Purcellville, VA in 1997. After his father passed Dr. Towe was invited by the Upper Mattaponi Nation to help them open a medical clinic in Aylett Virginia to serve the Tribe as well as the larger Aylett community. He was medical director of Aylett Family Wellness for three years before his advancing Retinitis Pigmentosa kept him from safely making the 2.5 hr. commute to Aylett.
As much as he loved serving the Loudoun community with his medical practice, there was nothing he loved more than being a parent.
James H. Towe was a beloved father of four children: Jack, Craig, Andrew and Bella. They were his pride and joy. He often shared: "I am really glad I got to be a dad. It is all I ever wanted." Folks in his neighborhood would comment as they drove by the Towe home on Tranquility Road in Purcellville, VA what a wonderful Dad he was, often observed playing with his own as well as neighborhood kids on their front lawn. He had an infectious laugh, a knowingly playful sense of humor and a warm hug for anyone in need. He was a man who deeply valued friendship.
One of his passions, inherited from his father, was riding motorcycles. He enjoyed helping the neighborhood kids learn how to ride safely and take road trips through Loudoun County.
He was a voracious reader with a curiosity that never tired of learning. He had an amazing memory for detail, never forgetting a name, a theme song from a TV show, nor the details of a good story. He loved conferencing and traveling, enjoying Greece and Egypt and many of the national parks in the US. On each of his children's 18th birthdays, he gave them a copy of the US Constitution with the most important Amendments underlined. He felt it was important that his children were civically engaged.
He was an avid sportsman, loving running, football, basketball, tennis and swimming laps.
He was such an avid swimmer that he would wake at Sunrise to swim with the dolphins at Virginia Beach. He always enjoyed watching the NFL and March Madness with his boys and his nephew and was thrilled to be in the audience for his daughter's theatre and cheer performances. Jim and Bella enjoyed special time each morning sitting in the warm car singing together while waiting for the school bus to arrive.
Jim is survived by his three siblings, Jeanne and Burton Seitler, Kathryn and Steve Zumbaugh, Larry and Stephanie Towe, his nephew, Steve Zumbaugh II, his wife, Emilie Joan Towe and their children: Jack Theodore, Craig Halsey, Andrew Dempsey, and Isabella Grace.
On his most recent birthday, Jim shared a reflection:
"I like hitting tennis, I really like shooting hoops; it's therapeutic, but I love throwing football with family and friends in the neighborhood; it's my happy place."
The family has planned a Celebration of Life to honor Jim and his beloved mother, Eleanore Towe, at the lovely Bluemont Station of Whitehall Estate at 18301 Whitehall Estate Lane Bluemont, VA 20135 on December 13, 2025 from noon to 3pm.
Jim was devoted to many causes. He would love it if in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be donated to continue research on curing retinal diseases at:
Foundation Fighting Blindness https://www.fightingblindness.org
Or gifting the local organization: Nick's Way which funds therapy for youth struggling with Mental health issues who cannot afford therapy: https://nicksway.org/community/