William Hunter “Bill” Lamkin, Sr., first King & Queen County Administrator, passed away on July 30, 2013, at his home in Bena, after a long courageous battle with lung disease.
He was born on June 11, 1930 in Newport News, Va. He was a Christian and served the Lord by teaching Sunday School and singing in the choir. He held membership in several churches as he made geographic moves, but his most memorable church was Lower King & Queen Baptist Church in Dragonville. At the time of his death he was a member of Union Baptist Church.
Bill led an interesting life from early childhood. His stories are legend. He reminisced about walking to and from Stonewall Jackson Elementary School in Newport News and coming home for lunch each day. In the second grade, he was selected to lead the School May Day Parade down Washington Avenue. In 1941 the family moved to Hampton and he recalled hearing the news that Pearl Harbor had been attacked on the radio that the family has today. Bill was very athletic. He was most proud of being the Center on the 1948 Hampton High School State Football Championship team—quite a fete for weighing in at 149 pounds! Although both Randolph-Macon and Wake Forest offered him football scholarships, Bill elected to stay local and attend the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School where he excelled in football and track and graduated in 1954. After graduation, he served as Assistant football coach under his father. At the shipyard he worked on the NASA Wind Tunnels and the Enterprise Aircraft Carrier. After furthering his education, he became a Manufacturing and Industrial Engineer. Always seeking a challenge, his work career also took him to Melpar in Northern Virginia where he worked on models for the first U.S. space satellite. Perhaps one of Bill’s most interesting career moves came in 1973 when he was selected as the first County Administrator of King & Queen County. He loved the country living in King & Queen and the people who resided there. Later, he spent several years as a Project Manager at Liebherr America and worked for an old friend, Jake Schrum at Craft Machine Works.
Because of his diversity of work, his strong work ethic, and his keen analytical ability, Bill could literally analyze and fix anything. He built a garage, he worked on vehicles, he cut pulp wood, he hunted, he fished, he swam, he water-skied, he sailed, he ice-skated, he made fantastic spaghetti and meatballs, he vacuumed, he farmed, he gardened, he cut grass, he collected riding lawn mowers, he was a care-giver to his mother-in-law. He taught his grandkids how to master archery. Mostly, he was a teller of stories—his fascinating true stories. Each morning when he was able to do so, he would arise and go outside to thank God for the beauty of the day. He read his Bible every day and prayed at least twice each day. He loved his cats and was blessed with four, GG, Peter I, and Ruth Ann who are deceased and Peter II who was his most recent constant companion.
Bill was a fighter to the end, always saying “I’m fine” to everyone who asked how he was. He never complained. We thank all the doctors along the way who treated him, Dr. Henry Rowe, Dr. Crowder, Dr. Davis, Dr. Render, Dr. Tom Luckam, Dr. Givens, Dr. Bashkoff, Dr. Wilcox, Dr. Kersh, Dr. Haggerty, Dr. Micale, and Beecher Kirkley. We thank life-time nurse Betty Armistead and the Hospice angels, primarily Lynn, Vanessa, Mary Burton, Margaret and Christy. We also thank Kim and staff from Gloucester Florist; private care companion and special friend, Natalie, and very special friend Kathy. These kind people and many others played a strong role in keeping Bill going for so many years.
His parents, Louise Williams and Gordon E. “Pop” Lamkin Sr.; brother, Gordon E. Lamkin Jr.; sister, Shirley; and in-laws, Buddy and Margie Hogge preceded him in death.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary Lou Hogge Lamkin. Other survivors are son, William Hunter Lamkin Jr. (Cindy) of Fredericksburg; daughter, Katherine Amanda Lamkin McPherson (Philip) of Portsmouth; grandsons, Matthew and Michael McPherson; granddaughters, Jessica and Nicole Lamkin; great-granddaughters, Callie and Brianna McPherson; sister-in-law, Jo Ann Nystrom (Jon); brother-in-law, David Bruce Hogge (Karen); sister-in-law, Harmie Lamkin; former daughter-in-law, Jo Ann Lamkin; former son-in-law, Roland McPherson; nieces, Margaret Eaves, Beth Menne, Di Cookson (Ryan), and Dee Haywood (Phil); nephews, Gordon E. Lamkin III and John David Hogge (Jennie); great-nieces, Morgan Haywood and Autumn “Sugah” Cookson; great-nephews, Max and Luke Lamkin, Preston Eaves and Dylan Sage; cousins, USA Colonel (Ret.) and Professor (Ret.) John Conner Atkeson (Nanci), Betty Lou Salley, Martha Hogge, Wendy Hogge and Hayes Williams. He is also survived by his wonderful cat, Peter.
A Going Home service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, 2013, at Providence Baptist Church, 3501 Providence Road, Hayes, Va. The Rev. Richard Whiteheart and the Rev. Bill West will be officiating. Providence Baptist Church is located on property originally owned by Bill’s grandfather, Hunter Pendleton Williams. Interment will follow in Rosewell Memorial Garden. The family will receive friends on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, from 7-8:30 p.m. at Hogg Funeral Home, Gloucester Point. Following the interment, all attendees are invited to attend a reception in the Providence Baptist Church Fellowship Hall.
Expressions of sympathy may be with flowers as Bill loved flowers or to the Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue, P.O. Box 9, Bena, Va. 23018.