David Dobbs Britt

1936 - 2025

David Dobbs Britt

May 20, 1936 - June 7, 2025

David Dobbs Britt, 89, died unexpectedly in Roanoke, Va., on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

Just the previous week, he had completed a road trip to Ohio to celebrate his granddaughter Lindsey and Ben's wedding and was surrounded by members of his family. He extended his visit to Indiana and enjoyed an afternoon boating on the lake followed by a pizza party at the home of his granddaughter, Lauren, and her husband, Alex.

David was born in Wiggins, Mississippi, on May 20, 1936. He married Mary Hart Richardson on October 23, 1965 in Roanoke, Virginia. She preceded him in death on September 8, 2015.

He went to Wake Forest University for a B.A., and then on to Emory University in Atlanta for a PhD. He first taught in the Humanities Department at Morehouse College in 1961 (when Martin Luther King Jr. was a visiting lecturer there), and became chairman of that department just two years later. Stops at Wabash College in Indiana and at the University of Wisconsin brought teacher of the year awards, more department head positions, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Black Studies.

David became a Hokie in 1976 when he and Mary moved to an 1860s farm house in Riner, Virginia, to teach English at Virginia Tech until, several years later, a unique opportunity presented itself to lead work at the Reynolds Homestead in Patrick County, Virginia. David and Mary worked together to create new programming for the community including the arts, literature, music, educational programming, and travel abroad. In the early 1980's, David took special pride in organizing the first computer camps for kids in the area when personal computers were just becoming common. David and Mary returned to Blacksburg in 1999 to teach English at Virginia Tech for several years before retiring.

David had very recently moved to Hermitage in Roanoke, where he had quickly found great new friends, a caring staff, rich programming, and an active beehive that brought back many memories of the family's time in Riner, Virginia, at the farmhouse.

David focused on building friendships while dedicating time to advocating for civil rights, lobbying for what he thought was best for his community, and improving his tennis game. Known for his sense of humor, David took great joy in telling long and elaborate jokes which usually resulted in laughter but also the occasional, "David, David, David!"

He is survived by his son, Tim (Leigh) Britt of Columbus, Indiana; his brother, Robin (Susie) Britt of Greensboro, North Carolina; granddaughters, Lindsey (Ben) Rees of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Lauren (Alex) LaRose of Bloomington, Indiana; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary; and sister, Bubbles Marlowe.

The family will receive friends at McCoy's Funeral Home, 150 Country Club Rd SW in Blacksburg, on Saturday, July 12th, from 1 to 2 p.m. Funeral services will follow at 2 p.m., with Pastor John Tadlock officiating. There will be a reception afterward at David's favorite restaurant, Lefty's, until 5 p.m., at 1410 S. Main St., Blacksburg. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Doctors Without Borders at https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ or your favorite charity.