James Keith McMullin

1965 - 2023

MCMULLIN, Mr. James Keith, was born February 15, 1965, in Richmond, Virginia and died all too soon at age 58 of pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife, Martha Wayt McMullin; and his children, Charlotte Compton McMullin of Charleston, S.C. and James Finley McMullin of Lexington, Ky. His parents are the late Mr. and Mrs. William Burke McMullin. His siblings and their families survive him, Sally Magarity and Geoff McMullin. Named after Keith Finley -- his father's best friend in World War II -- he graduated from Douglas Freeman High School and the University of Virginia, where he rowed crew. As a high school student, Keith was eligible for a scholarship in furniture design and construction; however, no such program existed at UVA. His father quipped, "We'll just have to make do with UVA."

Keith had the uncanny ability to do almost anything, whether carving and building furniture, renovating houses, working in corporate America, or rowing and kayaking. Of his many fond memories of family and friends, none were more special than fishing with his father at the north end of Virginia Beach and climbing Mount Chocorua with his family in Tamworth, N.H. Here, the family fell under the spell of "Tamworth Time," where clocks and agendas are meaningless.

Professionally, Keith worked primarily in health care. After temporary callings in architecture/construction and event/sports marketing, he worked for many years as a health care executive for Anthem and retired from Bon Secours Mercy Health System.

As a young man, he was responsible for developing Brown's Island as a popular event venue for the community. The concert celebrating the grand opening of Brown's Island and Richmond Riverfront remains a legendary event in both off-the-scale attendance and beer sales. With trademark humor, Keith observed about the first show, "We had no idea how many people would come. I remember standing next to the stage manager and looking up to witness a flood of people streaming down 5th Street to Brown's Island."

Described as a "smiling Scottish warrior" with high energy and a quick laugh, Keith had an innate survivor's instinct and lived for three years with pancreatic cancer despite all odds. He was an early participant in immunotherapy research (ZB-131) at UVA Health, with groundbreaking results to help cure pancreatic cancer for future generations.

Keith will be remembered by many as a community volunteer, early-morning kayaker at Jones Landing, woodworker at Harrison Higgins, Inc., longtime member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and a charter member of the Order of the Oyster in Spottswood Park. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on June 5, 2023, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Bon Secours Community Hospice House. The Hospice House has transformed end-of-life care from a medical experience only into a human and family experience (communityhospicehouse.com).