Retired judge, community advocate and philanthropist, Chesapeake’s Richard S. Bray dies at 77
Whether sitting on the bench or serving charitable causes, retired Judge Richard S. Bray was a beacon of light for the Hampton Roads community and beyond.
Bray, a well-known law expert and philanthropist, died at age 77 on May 4 from Merkel cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. A Portsmouth native who called Chesapeake home, Bray worked tirelessly to better his community and fight for the rights of others.
Bray’s judicial career spanned about 13 years, starting in 1989. He worked as a Circuit Court judge in Portsmouth for two years before serving as a state Court of Appeals judge in Richmond. After retiring in 2002, he led the Beazley Foundation as president and CEO for 19 years before stepping down in 2021. The Portsmouth-based philanthropic organization, founded 76 years ago, has touched the lives of thousands of Virginians through funding for various nonprofits, schools, art programs and ministries.
“He loved serving and helping people,” said Steve Best, Bray’s successor as president and CEO of the Beazley Foundation. “He could see needs in the community and knew how to approach various organizations or people to unite them into one common vision and then make it happen.”
In a 2021 interview with WAVY-TV 10, Bray said his service with the foundation represented the most gratifying time in his life. Best referred to his mentor and friend of more than 40 years as a Renaissance man because he revered education whether through college or trade schools.
“He was my sounding board the past three years,” Best said.
John E. Pappas, a retired attorney, grew up one block away from the Bray family. Eight years his senior, Pappas said he knew Bray from the day he was born and agreed he was a Renaissance man. Pappas described Bray as an intellectual possessing an extraordinarily broad knowledge base, a good listener and a man of great integrity.
A 1964 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, Bray earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Randolph-Macon College in 1968 at the top of his class before earning his law degree in 1971 from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, now known as the William & Mary’s Law School. He started his career as a law clerk to Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawrence W. I’Anson. He spent time honing his skills as an associate attorney at two local firms before founding his own firm, Bray & Whitehurst, in 1975 in Chesapeake.
“He was a very bright man, but he didn’t present himself as such,” Pappas said. “He was very approachable.”
Shaken by his loss, Pappas said he will miss the regular phone calls with his late friend about everything under the sun.
G. Robert “Bob” Aston Jr., TowneBank’s founder and executive chairman, credits Bray for playing a big role in the development of the city of Chesapeake during his time as an attorney where he handled almost all of the real estate rezoning. Bray was recognized as Chesapeake’s First Citizen in 2009 for his career and civic involvement.
Bray served as director of the Virginia State Fair from 2008 to 2010 and on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. He was a director of the People’s Bank of Chesapeake and founding chairman of the board of directors for Greenbrier Country Club. This past January, he was appointed to serve on the board of visitors for Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Bray served as lead director of TowneBank’s corporate board and chaired its executive committee. But Aston said their relationship and friendship started more than four decades earlier. Bray was very involved with the bank — not just on a business level, but on a cultural and emotional level, he said.
“He was very engaged with trying to make things better for people,” Aston said. “He’s one of the few individuals I’ve known in life that had a brilliant mind, but at the same time had a big heart.”
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com
