Sidney Oliver Dewberry

DEWBERRY

SIDNEY OLIVER DEWBERRY

Sidney Oliver "Sid" Dewberry passed away peacefully in Arlington, Virginia, on July 16, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. He had a unique and purposeful life—filled with service to his community, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation, while being wholly dedicated to his family. Sid will be sadly missed by his many close and fast friends for his warm, generous and gracious spirit and his charming wit. He left an enduring example of living with honesty, integrity, charity and graciousness.

Sid was an engineer who participated greatly in the success and growth of Northern Virginia for more than 65 years in the areas of engineering and land use, corporate leadership, and active participation in civic activities.

Sid was born on December 23, 1927, in Hurt, Virginia, just north of Danville in Pittsylvania County. He was the son of Katie Bell Wilkinson and Albert Sidney Johnston Dewberry—a descendant of a long and proud line of Virginia farmers.

His strong work ethic born of his rural roots pervaded his whole life.

He served in the U.S. Army, 1945–1947, and was enrolled in an officer-training program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He received his B.S. in civil engineering from George Washington University. On June 3, 1950, he married hometown sweetheart Reva Anne Lanier.

He was a founding Partner in 1956 of the engineering firm, Dewberry, Virginia's largest engineering business and one of the biggest in the country. Over more than 65 years, Dewberry expanded into a 2,000-person, award-winning architectural, engineering, planning, surveying, and landscape firm headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with offices nationwide. He continued to serve as Chairman Emeritus of Dewberry until he passed away, spending a few hours every day in the office.

He served as valued advisor to a broad-ranging number of organizations regarding public planning and development throughout Northern Virginia. His vision, realistic objectivity and wisdom had a marked influence on the area we live in today.

The George Mason University Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, was named to honor the role Sid played in establishing, guiding, and supporting the department.

He was Rector Emeritus of the George Mason University Board of Visitors, after serving an eight-year term as Visitor and the last four as Rector with term ending June 2007.

He received awards and honors too numerous to list from professional, community, and educational institutions, among them, the George Mason Medal in 1997, the highest honor bestowed by George Mason University; several business hall of fame inductions and a GWU School of Engineering Hall of Fame induction; an honorary college degree and an honorary doctorate; a building industry man of the year; many excellence and leadership awards; and lifetime achievement awards.

He had been appointed by the Governor to serve on numerous commissions, some of which covered the topics of higher education, transportation policy; and tobacco indemnification and community revitalization.

He was a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Member of the American Public Works Association, National Society of Professional Engineers, Virginia Association of Surveyors, and the Surveyors Historical Society.

He was editor-in-chief of Dewberry's 1,000-page Land Development Handbook: Planning, Engineering, and Surveying, published by McGraw-Hill, which has become a college classroom staple, now in its 4th edition. He wrote, co-authored, and published several other books, including a couple about the history of Fairfax County.

His passion for music was known to anyone who encountered him, having learned to play the piano at 75 years of age. In his later years, the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music was established to support and provide scholarships to the outstanding music program at George Mason University.

Sid Dewberry's focus on his family was his guiding light throughout his life. Sadly, just a month before Sid passed away, he endured the loss of his beloved wife of 72 years, Reva Anne. She was a cornerstone of his life. Together they raised their four children—Barry K. Dewberry, Karen S. (Dewberry) Grand Pré, Michael Sidney Dewberry and Thomas Lanier Dewberry.

Sid Dewberry is survived by his son Barry K. Dewberry and wife Arlene Evans, daughter Karen S. Grand Pré and husband Bruce, son Thomas L. Dewberry and wife Christine, and daughter-in-law Stephanie A. Dewberry; by his grandchildren Candace and Suzanne Grand Pré, Michael, Katie, John, Kelly, Quinn, and Reagan Dewberry; by his great-granddaughters Lily and Violet Dewberry; by his many nephews and nieces in three generations of the Dewberry family. Sid was predeceased by his wife of 72 years, Reva Anne Lanier Dewberry; by his son, Michael S. Dewberry, by his parents, and by his four brothers and four sisters—all beloved by him.

Memorial services will be Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA 22032 – details on the website www.fairfaxmemorialfuneralhome.com. Live streaming of the service at 2:30 p.m. Private entombment will follow.

Condolences may be addressed to the Dewberry Family at 8401 Arlington Boulevard, Fairfax VA 22031. In lieu of flowers, the Dewberry family requests contributions to the George Mason University Foundation with the Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music in the memo line, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MSN 1A3, Fairfax VA 22030.