In Memoriam

Remembering notable Richmonders we lost in 2023

Irvo Otieno

Irvo Otieno, 28, was remembered at First Baptist Church of South Richmond in March as a gifted athlete with a big smile and an infectious laugh, an aspiring rapper who called himself Young Vo and someone who wanted to help his relatives in Kenya, from which his family emigrated to Henrico County when he was 4 years old. He died March 6 of asphyxiation when he was admitted to Central State Hospital amid a mental health crisis and was pinned down for 11 minutes by law enforcement and hospital authorities. The first of eight trials for the accused in his death begins in June 2024. 

Carol Piersol

A major influence on the Richmond theater scene, Carol Piersol founded and, as artistic director, guided the Firehouse Theatre Project from 1993 to 2012, where, through often daring productions, she introduced Richmond audiences to playwrights whose work they wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. Following a controversial ousting, she continued with the current 5th Wall Theatre Co. She died May 9, two years after a diagnosis of brain cancer, at age 71. The community’s respect and affection for Piersol and her legacy received memorial recognition, and the New Theatre at the Firehouse named its stage for her. 

Brenton Halsey

Once dubbed the “father of the riverfront,” Brenton Halsey focused his leadership skills toward revitalizing the banks of the James River near downtown Richmond. He started his career in business at the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company and soon climbed his way into managing his own paper manufacturing company, later called the James River Corp., in 1969. His civic calling came from the waterfront, where he sponsored much of the construction around the Belle Isle pedestrian bridge, Brown’s Island Canal Walk and more as head of the Richmond Riverfront Development Corp. Halsey also led boards for Monticello, the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond Renaissance and many other organizations. He died May 28 at age 96. 

Mary Glen Boyd Taylor

Mary Glen Boyd Taylor dedicated her life to filling the land around her with beauty. She arrived in Richmond as a boarding student at St. Catherine’s School, later attending Randolph-Macon Women’s College. She found her calling as a member of the Boxwood Garden Club, where she developed a green thumb and a passion for Richmond’s landscapes. She was a driving force behind the planting of some 500 trees along Monument Avenue, among other beautification projects. Later, she would hold positions as the president of the Boxwood Garden Club, tree steward for Henrico County and board member of Capital Trees from 2010 to 2020. She died June 16 at age 88. 

Alexander Randolph

He went by many names — August Moon, Mr. Wiggles, the Mayor of Hull Street and more — but under all of them, Alexander Randolph blended entertainment and activism to push for a better Richmond. He sang, produced, managed and even led his own record labels. Moon also ran “Tell It Like It Is,” a public-access television show on which he spoke with local officials and activists and often recited his motto: “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” He died July 12 at the age of 85. 

Paul Elbling

The master chef founded the gourmet restaurant La Petite France, open from 1971 to 2008, with his wife, Marie-Antoinette. The native of Alsace, France, immigrated to the U.S. with her and little else but his background in the European kitchen brigade system. They moved from Washington, D.C., to Richmond in 1970. His devotion to service and hospitality not only made Elbling a standard bearer of fine dining but also provided a recipe for living. In 2012, Richmond magazine named its restaurant awards, The Elbys, after him. Marie-Antoinette predeceased her husband in 2021. Chef Paul, 82, died July 22. 

Henry Valentine II

Community service was a lifelong passion of Henry Valentine II, who died Sept. 21 at 96. A longtime partner and a former chair in the Richmond law firm Davenport & Co. before his retirement in 2021, Valentine was a constant presence in the community, logging hours with church, civic and community groups. He served eight years on the Richmond City Council beginning in 1970 and was a founder and served 15 years on the Richmond Renaissance board (later Venture Richmond), a group that brought Black and white Richmond leaders together to boost downtown development. His vision was that “Richmond’s future would hinge on inclusion, collaboration and understanding across all the city’s population,” according to his obituary. 

Del. Anne G. “Panny” Rhodes

Anne Jackson Gregory Rhodes first came to Richmond as a member of the St. Catherine School’s Class of 1960. “Panny” eventually returned to the area to lead numerous local nonprofits and governmental organizations, culminating in her service as the Republican representative of the city’s 68th House of Delegates seat from 1992 to 2001, advocating for health care, public education and various women’s issues. She then joined Virginia Commonwealth University’s Board of Visitors in 2003 and became rector in 2009. She died Oct. 5 at age 81. 

Lou Anderson

A graduate of Maggie Walker High School, Lou Anderson returned to the region after playing football and basketball in North and South Carolina. He would go on to coach various Richmond football teams before joining Virginia State University from 1990 to 2001. In that time, he won back-to-back Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles and was named CIAA Coach of the Year twice. “Though his love for the game willed him to mold and develop young athletes,” reads his CIAA Hall of Fame biography, “Coach Anderson desired nothing more than to see his athletes achieve the ultimate goal in obtaining a college degree.” He died Oct. 13 at age 87.