Valerie Dove

Valerie Mixter Dove, a gregarious, giving and inveterate connector of people throughout her life, died peacefully at her home in Middleburg, Virginia surrounded by her family on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. She was 76.
Valerie never met a stranger and loved hosting friends old and new to her dinner table. She was an enthusiastic world traveler, astute businesswoman, avid tennis player, long-time volunteer and a loving wife, mother and grandmother.
Valerie was born on January 22, 1949, in Darien, Connecticut, the daughter of David Mason Mixter and Stephanie Leonard Mixter and the twin sister of David Ives Mixter, who predeceased her when he was killed in action during the Vietnam War. His death was a great loss she carried throughout her life.
She graduated from Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, Bradford College in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and St. Godric's College in Hampstead, London.
After working in advertising for several years in New York City, Valerie moved to Washington, D.C. in 1981 and became a realtor with the Pardoe Real Estate Group. In the early 1990s, she met the love of her life, Guy O. Dove III, founder of the Pinnacle Oil Company and a lifelong investor in energy and debt securities. They were married in 1994 in the Little Sanctuary on the National Cathedral Close and shortly thereafter, they moved to Middleburg, their home of 31 years.
Valerie soon became involved in a number of worthy causes, doing volunteer work with non-profits in Middleburg, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Vero Beach, Florida. In Virginia, she was involved with the Windy Hill Foundation in Middleburg and outreach programs with the Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville, where she was a long-time member.
Valerie had a keen eye for fashion and also loved to entertain. She was an accomplished cook, especially noted among family and friends for her homemade chocolate and butterscotch sauces. On any given year, her joyous Thanksgiving table hosted a mix of decades-long friends, new faces, and dear family members.
Throughout their marriage, she and Guy traveled to various locations across the country and around the globe. It was a passion she delighted in passing to the next generation, taking her beloved grandchildren on curated coming-of-age trips with their "Vivi."
Valerie was married previously to Carroll J. Cavanagh Jr. of East Norwalk, Connecticut. Her brother, Peter Mason Mixter, predeceased her in 2024. She is survived by her husband, Guy Orlando Dove III of Middleburg, Virginia; her brother, Stephen L. Mixter (Elizabeth) of Orlando, Florida; a daughter, Dorothy Cavanagh Stout (Jack) of Wilson, Wyoming; a son, Carroll John Cavanagh III (Jacey) of Washington, D.C.; stepdaughters Heather Leigh Gustafson of Washington, D.C. and Hilary Pell Dove of Washington, D.C.; stepson Guy Orlando Dove IV of Louisville, Kentucky, four grandchildren, John Cavanagh Stout, Scarlet Mixter Stout, William Carroll Cavanagh and Calder Buchanan Cavanagh and five step-grandchildren, Isabelle Ross Dove, William Catlett Dove, Francesca Elinor Cavaceppi-Dove, Orlando Pell Cavaceppi-Dove and Sebastian Pell Cavaceppi-Dove.
A celebration of her life will be held at Trinity Church in Upperville, Virginia on November 25 at 1 p.m. and the family asks that any donations in her name be made to the Windy Hill Foundation in Middleburg.