Dexter C. Rumsey Iii

Dexter Cleveland Rumsey III, of White Stone, Virginia, died at home, Monday, November 2, 2015, after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Bonnie Hoyle Rumsey; their daughter Caroline Rumsey Paxton, and husband ,W. Coalter Paxton III, of Wilson, NC; their son, Dexter C. Rumsey, IV, and wife, Sara, of Mount Pleasant, SC; grandchildren, Coalter, Grace and Thomas Paxton, Stuart and Harry Rumsey. Also surviving are two brothers, John Jenkins Rumsey of Olympia, WA, and Robert Lebby Rumsey, M.D., and wife Elise, of Lake Charles, LA. his father, Capt. Dexter C. Rumsey II, USN (Ret.) and wife Mary Rumsey. He was preceded in death by his mother, Lucile Jenkins Rumsey, of Charleston, SC. Mr. Rumsey was born April 15, 1942 in Charleston, SC . He graduated from Christ School in Arden, NC in 1960, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1964. At UNC, he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, president of the Gorgon's Head Lodge, and president of the German Club. Following graduation, he was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps. During fours years of active duty, he attained the rank of Captain, and served over a year in Vietnam, as Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, 3rd Marine Division. Following his military service, Mr. Rumsey enrolled in the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating in 1971. While there, he was a member of the Student Legal Forum and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. He then moved to the Northern Neck of Virginia, where he could practice law in arural setting, sail and hunt ducks on the Chesapeake Bay, and restore an 18th century waterfront farm house. Specializing in estate and trust law, Mr. Rumsey built a highly regarded legal career over 45 years. He became a founding partner of Rumsey & Bugg in Irvington, VA. He was named a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation and the American Bar Foundation. His distinguished professional career also included being named a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a recognition given to a highly select number of attorneys based on their substantial contributions to the field of trust and estate law. He was a lecturer for the Virginia State Bar and the Virginia Bar Foundation Committee, and served on the executive committee of the Virginia Bar Association, as Chairman of the Trust and Estate Section of the Virginia State Bar, and on the Professionalism Committee of the Virginia State Bar. For 30 years, Mr. Rumsey was the Town Attorney for Town of White Stone, VA. Mr. Rumsey was committed to his community and a true leader in Lancaster County. He was a devoted member of Grace Episcopal Church, serving as Vestry Member, Senior Warden, and Trustee and Chairman for The Grace Trust, Grace Church's Endowment Fund. He was Founder and Chairman of the Chesapeake Charter Chapter of Virginia Ducks Unlimited and a Life Member of Delta Waterfowl. He served as Chairman of a Steering Committee for Rappahannock Westminster Canterbury, served as a member of the Board of Directors for Signet Bank Northern Neck Advisory Board, and as a Board of Director for the Foundation of Historic Christ Church. Mr. Rumsey was also President of the Northern Neck Free Health Clinic Foundation, and a founding member, Board of Director and Vice President of The Boat Club. Mr. Rumsey also served on the board of US TOO International Prostate Education & Support Network, based near Chicago, IL. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many, Mr. Rumsey will be remembered for his true love of life, his integrity and wise counsel, his wonderful sense of humor, and his colorful, masterful storytelling abilities. Among his great passions were sailing, hunting, and sharing these adventures with the family and friends he so adored. He duck hunted on Crippen Creek in Virginia's Eastern Shore, and enjoyed quail hunting in south Georgia a good part of each February. He was an avid offshore sailor, and ventured across the the Atlantic in the summer of 2004 and cruised the Baltic Sea on a Swan 48. In the summer of 2013, he sailed his Cal 40, "Squall," up the coast to Maine from his home on Dymer Creek. Given his love of Maine and North Sea cruising, he became a member of the Bucks Harbor Yacht Club in Maine, as well as a member of the North American Station, Royal Scandinavian Yacht Clubs, New York. A Celebration of his Life will be held on November 9th, at 1:00 P.M., Grace Episcopal Church, Kilmarnock, Virginia. A reception at the church will immediately follow the service. An interment service will be held at Magnolia Gardens Cemetery, Charleston, SC on December 2 at 3:00 P.M. Memorials may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1059, Kilarnock, VA 22482 or the Northern Neck Free Health Clinic, P.O. Box 1694, Kilarnock, VA 22482.