Richard Hopper Robertson

Richard Hopper Robertson, Sr., 93, former general  manager/editor of the Eden Daily News and president of Leaksville Publishing Company, passed away at his home in Glen Allen surrounded by his loved ones on April 14, 2016.  He had been in declining health for the past nine years.

 

Funeral services to celebrate his life will be held at 11 AM on Monday, April 18, at Leaksville United Methodist Church conducted by                   Reverend Richard Howle.  Burial will follow in Lawson Cemetery.  The family will receive friends Sunday evening, 5 - 7 PM, at Fair Funeral Home.

 

Richard was a graduate of Leaksville High School and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, majoring in journalism. Upon graduation in 1943 he returned to Leaksville (now Eden) and joined the staff of the Leaksville News which his father founded in 1924. He was instrumental in building the weekly newspaper into the Eden Daily News. He was the only child of the late John S. Robertson and Mary Hopper  Robertson.

 

Survivors are his wife of 73 years, Beverly Wilson Robertson, and two children, Dr. Richard H. Robertson, of Florence, SC, and Martha Anne R. Martin (Dr. W. Wallace Martin), of Glen Allen,VA; four grandchildren, Suzanne M. Pitt (Robert), Sally Martin and Jonathan Martin, of Glen Allen, VA, and Heather R. Hopkinson (Steve) of New Bern, NC. In addition, there are six great-grandchildren: Jasmine and Ryan Pitt, Andrew and Bradford Hopkinson, and Sophia and Lydia Ritchie; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Shirley S. and Katie Francis Wilson of Burlington, NC.

 

Special thanks and appreciation are given to his devoted caregivers who for the past five years have been like family: Carolyn Mills, Christine Johnson, LaToya Rucker,  and a recent one Tiffany Winston.

 

An active member of Leaksville United Methodist Church throughout his adult life, he served on a number of committees there. He also was a former church treasurer and a chairman of the board of trustees. He was faithful in attendance at the Men's Bible Class and at worship  services.

 

A former president of the Eden Lions Club and a Jack Stickley Fellow, in 2013 he was recognized as a 70- year member.   Among his other civic activities were as president of the Eden Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the local board of Bank of America and as an officer in the Boys and Girls Club.  He also was on the founding Board of Trustees for Morehead Memorial Hospital, was active in Meals on Wheels, and aided in   transporting cancer patients to the hospitals.

 

Memorial contributions may be directed to the Endowment Fund of Leaksville United Methodist Church or to the donor's  choice.

 

Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.fairfuneralhome.com