David Joy Hatmaker

David Hatmaker, a career attorney in Harrisonburg, has died, age 90. David Joy Hatmaker was born November 7, 1934, in Washington, DC, the only child of Paul Castleton Hatmaker and Ellen Clark Crawford. His father was a civil engineer, whose tuberculosis eventually demanded that the family return to Strasburg to the house owned by his maternal grandparents. That house, nicknamed "Open House" on King Street, was eventually gifted by David to become the town's library. David retained a deep affection for Strasburg and the area around it. He graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia in 1952, and subsequently entered the University of Virginia. He earned a degree in commerce, graduating in 1956, and later returned to UVA to complete a law degree, graduating in 1968. Between college and law school, he served several years on active duty with the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1960, and worked in his mother's insurance office (the Crawford Insurance Agency) in Strasburg. He was serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex as Communications Officer when he met Dorothy Gayle Vincent, then head of the Mathematics Department at Paxon High School, now Paxon School of Advanced Studies, in Jacksonville, Florida. They were married December 27, 1958. Soon thereafter, he embarked on a memorable deployment in the Mediterranean, where he and Dorothy met often when his ship, USS BOSTON (CAG-1) made various ports of call. He and Dorothy spent their first wedding anniversary in Vienna, Austria visiting the historic sights. Thereafter, they settled in Strasburg and soon welcomed their children, Paul Giles and Amanda Gayle. Upon his decision to seek a law degree, Dorothy returned to the classroom; and after his graduation from law school the family settled in Harrisonburg. David practiced law in Harrisonburg from late 1968 until his first (partial) retirement in 1999. He was subsequently appointed Commissioner of Accounts in 2000, an office he held until 2012, when he fully retired. In the meantime, he had been appointed Commissioner in Chancery in 1971 and Assistant Commissioner of Accounts in 1985. As Commissioner of Accounts, he served as a member of the board of directors of the Virginia Conference of Commissioners of Account. During the 1980s, he also served as a member of the Virginia Board of Commerce in Richmond. David pursued a variety of interests, including a lifelong passion for serious music. He was a former president of the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival in Orkney Springs, Virginia, a founder of the Shenandoah Valley Choral Society, a former president of the Community Concerts, and sang tenor for many years. He directed a local church choir and chamber choir, and studied conducting at Westminster Choir College's summer program. In retirement, he lectured on musical subjects at the local Lifelong Learning Center, and was a member Ralph Vaughan Williams Society. As a youth, David had written for his local newspaper, the Northern Virginia Daily. His enjoyment of the writing process followed him for the rest of his life. He produced and broadcast numerous commentaries for public radio in the 70s and 80s. Later, he was sponsored by the Daily News Record to author Report from Philadelphia: An Account of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in the Style of a Reporter on the Scene. His interest in the US Constitution inspired a number of lectures to local LLI groups on the writing of the Constitution and other aspects of law. Later, in retirement, he would compile and write a series of articles that became a book on the history of the British monarchy (Uneasy Heads: Sketches of the Monarchs of England Since the Conquest). David and Dorothy particularly enjoyed travelling, including many vacations to the British Isles and the European Continent; and they both retained an interest in Haitian art and culture. Both were keen bridge players, and their bridge club evenings were full of laughter and memorable moments. David's other more serious hobbies included golf and gardening, which competed for his time for many years, but which nonetheless achieved their own successes. David, along with his son, Paul, were founding members of the Fort Harrison Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. David was also a life member of Strasburg, Inc., which operates the Strasburg Museum. David died September 3, 2025, at Blue Ridge Rehab and Nursing in Harrisonburg after a short stay. He had suffered from a number of ailments that had afflicted him for some years. He is survived by his son, Paul Giles Hatmaker and his wife, Elizabeth Rice Hatmaker, Harrisonburg, Virginia; by grandchildren, Lauren Elizabeth Hatmaker of Winchester, Morgan Gayle Baldanza and her husband, Allen of Front Royal, David Jameson Boyd Hatmaker and his wife, Jasmin of Richmond, and William George Vincent Hatmaker and his wife, Megan of Stephens City, Virginia; and five great-grandchildren. David was proceeded in death by his wife, Dorothy Hatmaker and his daughter, Amanda Hatmaker. The family will receive friends from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday evening, September 11, 2025, at Kyger Funeral Home in Harrisonburg. A Funeral Mass will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, September 12, 2025, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Harrisonburg. Interment will follow at Woodbine Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to KOVAR, a tax-exempt organization established in 1971 with a mission to empower nonprofit organizations with financial support to improve access to affordable housing, job training, sports participation, and personal care for Virginians with intellectual disabilities (ID). To facilitate Memorial Gifts, which are 100% paid to KOVAR, checks should be made payable and mailed to: Knights of Columbus Council 9488 (Memo: Memorial for David Hatmaker) C/O Kevin McLaughlin 128 Congers Lane McGaheysville, VA 22840