Toy Dixon Savage, Jr.

Norfolk - Toy Dixon Savage, Jr. died peacefully in his sleep in the early morning hours of December 7, 2017. He was 96.

The son of Toy D. Savage and Hildreth Gatewood Savage, Mr. Savage Jr. attended Norfolk Academy, Woodberry Forest School, the University of Virginia, the University of Virginia School of Law, and held an Honorary Doctorate from the Eastern Virginia Medical School. Born in Norfolk on Columbus Day in 1921, he remained a lifelong resident of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

Mr. Savage was a namesake partner and leader at Willcox Savage for almost 70 years, where he specialized in corporate, tax, and estate planning law. Listed continuously since 1983 as one of the Best Lawyers in America, he became a member of the Virginia Bar Association in 1948, and served as President in 1969-1970. He was an Adjunct Professor at William & Mary Law School, and tax law lecturer at William & Mary, the University of Virginia, and New York University.

After graduation from the University of Virginia in 1942, Toy served in the Navy until the end of the Second World War, first as Ensign in the Battle of the Atlantic and then as Lieutenant JG in the Pacific. Although he was for many years reticent to speak of the war, his pride in his service for those years became more evident as he grew older.

Toy's lifetime commitment to the betterment of Virginia and the Hampton Roads community included ten years of service in the Virginia House of Delegates, nine years on the Governor's Advisory Board on Industrial Development, four years as a Director of United Way of Hampton Roads, thirty-eight years on the Board (five years as Chair) of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, thirty-five years as a Director of the Investment Corporation of Virginia, and thirty years as a Director of Sovran Bank.

For much of his life, Toy was dedicated to the success and impact of high quality healthcare in the Tidewater area. He served as a Director of Sentara Healthcare for fifty-four years, as President 1966-1968, and as Trustee 2008-2010. He was a Trustee of the Eastern Virginia Medical School for more than two decades, Chair of the Healthcare Committee of the Governor's Commission on the Future of Virginia, and a member of the University of Virginia Council on Health Sciences.

Toy Savage's support of education and the arts is reflected in his role as a Life Trustee of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, his ten-year term as a Trustee of the Virginia Historical Society, his Chairmanship in 1972-1973 of the Old Dominion Educational Foundation, and his ten-year terms as a Trustee of both the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Chrysler Museum. He also served as a Trustee of numerous private foundations, including the Camp and J. L. Camp Foundations.

Mr. Savage was publicly recognized many times, being named Norfolk's First Citizen in 1980, and most recently receiving the Barron Black Community Builder Award from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation in 2012. Although he was cited for many contributions, his devotion to Freemason Street Baptist Church was paramount, where his roles as Deacon, Trustee, and multi-decade advisor were a priority for more than fifty years of his life.

Toy enjoyed the trust and admiration of many colleagues, friends, and family. He is pre-deceased by his first wife of fifty-eight years, Hunter Hankins Savage, and is survived by his devoted second wife, Eleanor Rosalie Savage. He also leaves behind a daughter, Tracy Gatewood Savage and her husband Jeremy Jones; a son, Toy D. Savage III and his wife Gail; three grandchildren: Caroline Savage Stanford and her husband Christopher, Ann Wythe Richardson and her husband Eric, Virginia Stevens Savage and her fiancé Fritz Campo; and two great-grandchildren, Savannah Hunter Stanford and Thomas McNeil Stanford.

Toy Savage was sustained by a deep and unbounded love of and pride in his family. He often said how he felt blessed by the devotion of both his first wife, Hunter, and his second wife, Rodie. Equally so, he was uplifted by his profound faith in the goodness and mercy of God. Above all, Toy always understood it to be his duty to do whatever he could to improve the life of those around him. In that regard his advocacy could be clear and strong, but he never sought any public attention. Whether it be in the Navy, in the Virginia House of Delegates, in the practice of law, or on the myriad boards and commissions where he served, Toy worked tirelessly with his friends and colleagues for the benefit of this community and this Commonwealth. His mark on the world around him is evidence of a life spent in pursuit of the good.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, December 14, 2017 at the Freemason Street Baptist Church, 400 E. Freemason Street in Norfolk. There will be a reception at the Church following the service. Contributions in honor of Mr. Savage may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. H. D. Oliver Funeral Apts., Norfolk Chapel is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be offered to the family through www.hdoliver.com.