Jonas Osmin "Joc" Chamberlin III

Jonas Osmin "Joc" Chamberlin III (81) passed May 25th at Heritage Hall, Leesburg, VA. Born 1942 in Winchester, VA to Jonas O. Chamberlin Jr. and Josephine Wolford Chamberlin, he grew up in the Harris Edition section of town and attended city schools, graduating from Handley HS in 1960. He attended and graduated from the inaugural class of Shenandoah College (1962), where he met Judith Marple, who became his wife later that year. He furthered his education at Shepherd College with a bachelor's degree and teaching certificate. He spent a couple of years as a Sportswriter for the Northern Virginia Daily. After teaching for several years, he received his M.A. from James Madison University (1971).
Joc began his long teaching career in 1965, as faculty / coaching staff at Musselman HS, Frederick County Jr HS, Moore Haven HS (Florida), Stephens City ES, James Wood HS, and Frederick County MS. After retiring from Virginia Public Schools, he continued his teaching career at Capon Bridge MS. He had spent the latter two thirds of his instructional service devoted to the special education field.
Joc was an avid basketball player until his late 50's, playing at Shenandoah, coaching for decades, member of numerous local informal and municipal teams, tournaments, travel teams, and exhibition appearances.
Joc was also the consummate lifelong naturalist. He took dozens of college level wildlife and biology classes, attended educational nature camps, numerous photography / collecting expeditions, and widely traveled internationally in eco-tourism. He wrote book reviews for Audubon Magazine and was always the steward of his own private nature preserve "Hidden Valley Farm" near Gainesboro in Frederick County. He was a lifelong sportsman with outdoor adventures in numerous states. His years of wildlife observation, documentation, and careful note taking resulted in a remarkable body of work.
Joc's polymath nature sprang from his insatiable love of knowledge, his well-read mind and profound memory was remarkable even with his educated friends and colleagues. With thousands of volumes read in the fields of natural history or sports, his knowledge was unmatched.
He leaves behind a former wife of 28 years, Judy, son Jeff, and a grandson Braden, along with numerous close friends, students, athletes, colleagues, and faculty. He will be deeply missed for his distinctiveness as a human.
A gathering of family and friends is scheduled for June 2, 2023 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Jones Funeral Home in Winchester.
Donations in his memory may be made to The Nature Conservancy.