Henry Asbury Cathey Jr. (fondly known as Tex) was a man who “lived well, laughed often and loved much.” He was a modern Renaissance man, deeply curious about the world and how all things worked. Tex didn’t just know stuff; he applied what he learned to make life better. He thought outside the box–more accurately said–there just were no boxes in Tex’s life. His inquiring mind took him on all kinds of adventures. He was an athlete, a bird hunter, a gardener, a finish carpenter and furniture maker, and an artist. He loved being outdoors and could fix anything that was broken.
Tex died peacefully at home with his family on Oct. 16, 2025. Born on May 14, 1943 in Temple, Texas, he was the oldest of the three children of Barton and Henry A. Cathey Sr. He was raised in Richmond, Va., and Greensboro, N.C., and graduated from Davidson College in 1965 where he played baseball and football. Following his undergraduate education, he studied at the University of North Carolina Dental School, graduating in 1970. He married Judy Melvin in Christchurch, Va., on August 24, 1968. He served in the United States Public Health Service on the Red Lake Chippewa Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota for two years and then he and Judy moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he practiced dentistry at the Royal Dental Hospital. He and Judy returned to the United States in 1973 where he set up his dental practice in Newport News, Va. He was a founding member of the Friends of Dragon Run, whose mission it is to preserve the headwaters of the Piankatank River in Virginia’s Tidewater Region and served on its Board of Directors several times. In 2015 he and Judy retired to Lake Rabun, Ga.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Judy; his children, Josh Cathey, Anna (Cathey) Linhoss and Macon (Cathey) Thornton; his grandchildren, Luke and Cedar Rose Linhoss, and Hayes and Ozzy Thornton; his sister, Sally and her husband Steve Tatum and their children and grandchildren, and other family spread across the country. He was predeceased by his brother, Frank Cathey, in 2005.
Tex and Judy lived in their historic home, Point Lookout, in Gloucester, Va., for 40 years. Together, they renovated the house, gardens and property and had it placed on the National Register.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Henry A. Cathey Athletic Scholarship at Davidson College online at jastamey@davidson.edu or Jamie Stamey, Davidson College, P.O. Box 5000, Davidson, N.C. 28035. Be sure to mention the Cathey Athletic Scholarship in the memo line. Gifts made in Tex’s memory may also be sent to: Friends of Dragon Run, Inc., P.O. Box 882 Gloucester, Va. 23061.