Obituary of Gordon Blair Harry GORDON BLAIR HARRY Virginian Pilot - 08-17-2005 SUFFOLK - The Honorable G. Blair Harry, a lifelong resident of the Suffolk community, passed away at his home Aug. 4, 2005, surrounded by his family and friends. He was 62. Judge Harry was born in Suffolk March 26, 1943, the son of Jack and Callie Harry. He graduated from Suffolk High School in 1961 and from Randolph Macon, he was a forward for the Yellow Jackets basketball team and was elected captain his senior years. He was also a member and president of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Judge Harry received a law degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1968. After law school, he taught Business Law at Virginia Commonwealth University before practicing as an associate with Robert E. Gillette in Suffolk. Throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s, Judge Harry was a partner with Hunter and Harry, followed by a private practice, then a partner at Pretlow, Harry and Eason. In 1990, he was appointed by the General Assembly to serve as a judge of the General District Courts of the Fifth Judicial District. He was subsequently reappointed twice and served the Commonwealth until shortly before his passing. Judge Harry was a member and past president of the Suffolk Bar Association and a member of the Board of Directors of United Virginia Bank. In addition, he enjoyed a passion for golf and was a member of the Nansemond River Gold Club. He is survived by his mother, Callie Hobbs Harry of Suffolk; two daughters, Courtenay Harry and her husband Lex Wolf of New York City and Karen Beth Harry of Greenville, N.C.; and his son, Gordon Blair Harry Jr. of Greenville. In addition, he is survived by his siblings, including two brothers, John C. Harry III and his wife Billie of Suffolk and C. Thomas Harry and his wife Carol of Suffolk; and his sister, Elizabeth Harry Tarkington and her husband Steve of Franklin, Va. Judge Harry is also survived by 13 nieces and nephews. A service celebrating his life will take place Monday at 11 a.m. at R.W. Baker & Company Funeral Home and Crematory by the Rev. T. Floyd Irby followed by a graveside service at Holly Lawn Cemetery. Visitation will take place at the funeral home today from 6 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to support the Blair Harry Memorial Scholarship, c/o BB & T Bank, 1525 N. Main St., Suffolk, VA 23434. Condolences may be registered a www.rwbaker.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Gordon Blair Harry, a lifelong resident of Suffolk, died 4 Aug 2005 at age 62. Born 26 Mar 1943, he was a judge and active community member. A service celebrating his life was held 8 Aug 2005 at R.W. Baker & Company Funeral Home and Crematory, officiated by Rev. T. Floyd Irby, followed by a graveside service at Holly Lawn Cemetery. ––– Transcript ––– GORDON BLAIR HARRY Virginian Pilot - 08-17-2005 SUFFOLK - The Honorable G. Blair Harry, a lifelong resident of the Suffolk community, passed away at his home Aug. 4, 2005, surrounded by his family and friends. He was 62. Judge Harry was born in Suffolk March 26, 1943, the son of Jack and Callie Harry. He graduated from Suffolk High School in 1961 and from Randolph Macon, he was a forward for the Yellow Jackets basketball team and was elected captain his senior years. He was also a member and president of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Judge Harry received a law degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1968. After law school, he taught Business Law at Virginia Commonwealth University before practicing as an associate with Robert E. Gillette in Suffolk. Throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s, Judge Harry was a partner with Hunter and Harry, followed by a private practice, then a partner at Pretlow, Harry and Eason. In 1990, he was appointed by the General Assembly to serve as a judge of the General District Courts of the Fifth Judicial District. He was subsequently reappointed twice and served the Commonwealth until shortly before his passing. Judge Harry was a member and past president of the Suffolk Bar Association and a member of the Board of Directors of United Virginia Bank. In addition, he enjoyed a passion for golf and was a member of the Nansemond River Gold Club. He is survived by his mother, Callie Hobbs Harry of Suffolk; two daughters, Courtenay Harry and her husband Lex Wolf of New York City and Karen Beth Harry of Greenville, N.C.; and his son, Gordon Blair Harry Jr. of Greenville. In addition, he is survived by his siblings, including two brothers, John C. Harry III and his wife Billie of Suffolk and C. Thomas Harry and his wife Carol of Suffolk; and his sister, Elizabeth Harry Tarkington and her husband Steve of Franklin, Va. Judge Harry is also survived by 13 nieces and nephews. A service celebrating his life will take place Monday at 11 a.m. at R.W. Baker & Company Funeral Home and Crematory by the Rev. T. Floyd Irby followed by a graveside service at Holly Lawn Cemetery. Visitation will take place at the funeral home today from 6 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to support the Blair Harry Memorial Scholarship, c/o BB & T Bank, 1525 N. Main St., Suffolk, VA 23434. Condolences may be registered a . ––– Vital Statistics ––– |----------------------------------| | Name | Gordon Blair Harry | | Age | 62 years | | Birth | 26 Mar 1943; Suffolk, VA | | Death | 4 Aug 2005; Suffolk, VA | |----------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |----------------------------|----------------|-------------------| | Gordon Blair Harry | Decedent | Suffolk, VA | | Callie Hobbs Harry | Mother | Suffolk, VA | | Jack Harry | Father | [Not specified] | | Courtenay Harry | Daughter | New York City, NY | | Lex Wolf | Son-in-law | New York City, NY | | Karen Beth Harry | Daughter | Greenville, NC | | Gordon Blair Harry Jr. | Son | Greenville, NC | | John C. Harry III | Brother | Suffolk, VA | | Billie Harry | Sister-in-law | Suffolk, VA | | C. Thomas Harry | Brother | Suffolk, VA | | Carol Harry | Sister-in-law | Suffolk, VA | | Elizabeth Harry Tarkington | Sister | Franklin, VA | | Steve Tarkington | Brother-in-law | Franklin, VA | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |----------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|-----------------| | Location | Suffolk, VA | | Name | Virginian Pilot | | Date | 17 Aug 2005 | | Edition | [Not specified] | | Section | [Not specified] | | Page | [Not specified] | |----------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Judge of the General District Courts of the Fifth Judicial District • Member and past president of the Suffolk Bar Association • Board of Directors of United Virginia Bank • Forward and captain of Randolph Macon Yellow Jackets basketball team • Member and president of Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity • Taught Business Law at Virginia Commonwealth University • Enjoyed golf; member of Nansemond River Golf Club [See also: www.findagrave.com/memorial/11654736/gordon-blair-harry www.findagrave.com/cemetery/50666/holly-lawn-cemetery http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/cemeteries/hollyln.txt ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net Formattinng and references by the Southampton Transcription Project] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. 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