William Lawson Driskill Jr.

William Lawson Driskill Jr.

Dr. William Lawson Driskill Jr., of Lynchburg, died Sunday morning, May 30, 2010. Born in Lynchburg to Mary Hamlet Driskill and William Lawson Driskill on Nov. 28, 1928, he was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, June Driskill Weaver. His beloved wife, Nancy Whitehead Patterson Driskill, also preceded him in death. The mother of his four children and first wife, Dr. Helen Jones Ellis, passed in December of 2009.

"Bill" Driskill was a 1946 graduate of E.C. Glass High School and a member of Virginia Military Institute's graduating class of 1950. He attended the Medical College of Virginia and received his medical degree in 1954. His residency at Ohio State began in 1954. This training was suspended from 1955 to 1957 by a period of military service. During this time, he served as a flight surgeon and Captain in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in New Zealand. He participated in Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic in 1957. After returning to Ohio State, he became chief resident and completed his medical training in 1961. He practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Lynchburg between 1961 and 1992.

Bill had a wonderful, active life and enjoyed skiing, scuba diving, tennis, horseback riding and fox hunting. He was a member of the Bedford County Hunt Club, St. John's Episcopal Church and Lynchburg Academy of Medicine. He cherished his time with his many friends, family and medical colleagues.

William Lawson Driskill Jr. is survived by four children, Ann Lawson Driskill, her husband, Jarold Sole, and their son, Graham, of Pasadena, Calif.; Mary Elizabeth Driskill and her son, Benjamin, of Charlottesville; Dr. Robert Leroy Driskill, his wife, Mary, and their four daughters, Casey, Elizabeth, Marshall and Claire, of Lynchburg; and William David Driskill, his wife, Elizabeth Meador, and their children, Lawson and Ann, of Norfolk.

The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. today, June 2, 2010, at the home of Robert and Mary Driskill at 111 Oakwood Place, Lynchburg. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 3, 2010, at St. John's Episcopal Church. A reception will follow at the home of Robert and Mary Driskill. A private family interment will be held at Spring Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust or to St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family, (434) 237-9424. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tharp

funeralhome.com.