William J. "Bill" Martin

William J. "Bill" Martin

December 28, 2025

William J. "Bill" Martin, 71, the long-time Director of the Valentine Museum in Richmond, Va., died on December 28, 2025.

He was the only son of Larman Johnson Martin (d. 1990) and Myrtle Quann Martin (d. 2021). Born and raised in Brandy Station in Culpeper County, VA, Bill developed an early love for history and storytelling. Accompanied by his parents and grandmother, he toured the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and explored Civil War battlefields. In high school, Bill was an editor of the Colonnade, the school's yearbook, and an officer in the Latin Club.

After high school, Bill attended Virginia Tech, graduating with a B.A. in Urban Studies and later an M.A. in Public Administration. As a college sophomore, Bill spread his love of civic spaces with his community by conducting a survey of downtown Culpeper shoppers and then incorporating their feedback into a scale model of a shopping mall, complete with benches and a playground. In 1975, he successfully sued to organize Virginia Tech's Gay Student Union. Bill was also a camp counselor during the summers, and, later in life, he pointed to that experience as critical for his success as a museum director.

After graduation, Bill worked for the Salvation Army in both Richmond and Portsmouth before moving to Waycross, Ga., to oversee the Okefenokee Heritage Center. He later moved to Jacksonville, Fla., leading the Jacksonville Museum of Arts and Sciences.

In 1986, Bill returned to Virginia to become the Petersburg Main Street Program Director and chief cheerleader for Petersburg's revitalization. He also took charge of Petersburg Downtown, Inc., and was later named the city's Director of Tourism. His love of cemeteries flourished in Petersburg with ready access to Blandford Cemetery.

In 1994, Bill joined the Valentine as Director of Marketing and Public Affairs. He came to the Valentine at a critical point in the institution's history during its failed expansion at Valentine Riverside (today's Tredegar location for the American Civil War Museum). After being named Director in 1995, together with the board, Bill saved the institution from bankruptcy. Over three decades, Bill nurtured the museum with vision and resolve, championing difficult conversations and elevating untold stories that challenged Richmond to better understand its past in an effort to build a better future.

Bill's legacy at the Valentine is evident in countless ways: groundbreaking community history series like Controversy/History and Richmond History Tours; the Richmond History Makers award program; major renovations of the entire museum campus; taking over responsibility for the First Freedom Center and expanded programming on religious freedom; a comprehensive collection refinement effort that prepared it for future collecting; and opening the museum as an official Richmond Region Tourism Visitor Center. Bill partnered with countless local organizations and institutions for collaborative programming and support, believing that community stories should not be told in a vacuum. He also advocated for smart change and growth across Richmond, particularly downtown.

Bill was a member and supporter of many local nonprofits, arts organizations, commissions, and committees. In 2018, he was inducted into the Richmond Times-Dispatch Person of the Year Hall of Fame. In 2024, he was recognized as Style Weekly's Richmonder of the Year and also received a resolution from the General Assembly commending his service to the Richmond region and the Valentine.

To keep in touch with his friends and collaborators, Bill frequently attended multiple events on the same evening, delighting all with his sense of humor and wry smile, then exiting quietly and darting around town in his MINI Cooper.

Although it would be easy to believe that Bill only ever worked, he also loved to visit dear friends in Washington, D.C., and New York, and also enjoyed entertaining friends in his Church Hill home, cooking for them in his basement kitchen – but always asking folks to leave by 9 p.m. Bill loved fine dining and a good glass of red wine, and more than a few restaurants around town knew him well. His preferred background music was disco, and Bill loved to be on the sideline of a room full of people.

And, of course, Bill loved to walk and tell stories. He loved to stroll around the Valentine, checking in with staff. He found joy greeting unwitting guests in the museum's lobby, often stealing them away for a behind-the-scenes tour. He loved cemetery tours and all the stories contained within. And whether it was the streets of Church Hill, Oregon Hill, Jackson Ward, or Court End, Bill loved to explore and show off the City of Richmond. You just had to keep up with his long strides.

Bill is survived by his dear friends who will cherish his memory. His burial will be private. Details about a celebration of life at the Valentine will be forthcoming.

We hope you will continue to walk with us as we begin to navigate a Richmond without Bill Martin. It will be different, but if you see it through his eyes, it is a city filled with promise, potential, and limitless stories.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Bill's memory to the Valentine, 1015 East Clay Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Online at https://thevalentine.org/bill.

Bliley's Funeral Home