Lives Well Lived

Remembering notable Richmonders we lost in 2024

by

Alan Kirshner

Alan Irving Kirshner, a father, friend and, as he said in a 2006 profile, “disorganized Virgo,” was the former CEO of the Markel Corporation, a specialty insurance firm. The Nashville, Tennessee, native moved with his first wife, Flo, to Richmond, where he began a 64-year career with Markel, working alongside his cousins-in-law Steve and Tony Markel. The arrangement made Kirshner “the cousin-out-law,” as Steve mused in 2006; Kirshner himself described his role as “the most expensive, highest-paid umpire in the United States.” A believer in community and culture, he and Flo — at the urging of their daughter Lynn, whose daughter Brittany was diagnosed with autism — founded the Faison Center.  After divorce, Kirshner married Deborah Mihaloff in 1987. He died March 17 at age 88.  —Harry Kollatz Jr.

Greg Beckwith Sr.

Known as “Beck” to his many friends and family, Greg Beckwith made an indelible mark on the University of Richmond basketball program. He set longstanding Spiders records in assists and steals and, as starting point guard for the 1983-84 season, helped beat Charles Barkley and the Auburn Tigers in the school’s first NCAA playoff berth. He went on to coach for UR, Virginia Tech and the James River Blaze, and he worked for decades at sports apparel brands such as Adidas. Starting with the 2003-04 season, Beckwith provided color commentary full time alongside Bob Black for Spiders hoops until his death May 24 at age 60. —Kevin Johnson

Lois McClellan

The mother of a congresswoman, Lois McClellan, 91, accomplished much in her own right. The first member of her Mississippi family to graduate from high school, she would retire as the director of educational services at Virginia State University. Eventually moving to Matoaca, she and her husband, James, raised three daughters: Jean, Julie (the widow of Greg Beckwith, above) and Jennifer. “Lois did not vote until well into her 30s, after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed,” Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, wrote in Essence magazine in 2023. “[A]t the age of 90, Lois had the opportunity to cast a vote for her daughter to become the first Black woman elected to Congress in Virginia history. I was proud to stand with my mother as she cast her ballot for me.” She died May 28. —Mark Newton

Joe Seipel

Joe Seipel was a beloved figure in the Richmond arts community and a former dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. During his 42-year career at VCU, he played a pivotal role in elevating the school’s national reputation and was a driving force behind the Institute for Contemporary Art. Seipel also co-founded 1708 Gallery and helped shape Richmond’s vibrant arts scene. When he retired, Seipel called the opportunity to play a part in transforming the lives of hundreds of students “a gift of immeasurable scale.” He died June 12 at age 76. —Jenna Lapp

Kat Simons

Kathi “Kat” Simons, 63, was known to many by voice, if not by face. She graduated from Davis & Elkins College in her native Elkins, West Virginia, where she began her radio career. After a stint in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, she joined Lite 98 (now Mix 98.1), launching a 25-year run as a midday DJ in the Richmond area. Her love for animals started at an early age on her family’s farm, where she had a dog, bird and cats. She shared her affinity with her listeners through her “Pet of the Day” segment, which raised thousands of dollars for animal aid. She died June 28. "Kat's life was a symphony of kindness and dedication,” her colleagues wrote, “played out over the airwaves of Virginia radio.” —Alyssa Hutton

Stella Dikos

If there was ever a matriarch of Richmond, it was legendary chef Stella Dikos. The namesake behind the local chain of neighborhood markets and seminal Greek restaurant on Lafayette Street died June 28. An immigrant-turned-beloved Richmonder, Dikos, 82, fed her community for more than 50 years. She was a lover of arts, gardening and family. She first brought her touch to The Village Cafe, a beatnik hangout, where she baked bread and became friends with people from all walks of life. In 1983, she opened Stella’s, igniting the Richmond food scene and introducing diners to the comforting magic of Greek cuisine. —Eileen Mellon

Roxane Gilmore

Once a Henrico and Chesterfield public school teacher, Roxane Gilmore went on to personally oversee a $7 million overhaul of the Executive Mansion, where she and her husband, Gov. Jim Gilmore, resided from 1998 to 2002. After his election, she resumed her post as a classics professor at Randolph-Macon College, which made her Virginia's first first lady to maintain her career, according to Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, the Gilmores' alma mater. “What I remember most was her determination to continue her college teaching, even while doing everything else on her plate,” Sabato told UVA Today. “She loved the interaction with her students, and the opportunities her classes brought to keep in touch with a younger generation.” She died Aug. 7 at 70 years old. —MN

Morton G. Thalhimer Jr.

A graduate of St. Christopher’s School and Dartmouth College, and a Navy pilot in World War II, Morton G. Thalhimer Jr. went into the business of show business by joining Neighborhood Theater Inc., which was started by his father in 1926. By the 1940s, NTI had become a major movie theater chain. While company president, Thalhimer integrated the theaters in the early 1960s. In 1986, he sold the chain to Cineplex Odeon Corp. for $21 million. His wide assortment of philanthropic work included the Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross. Thalhimer, an avid swimmer, tennis player and golfer, was 100 years old when he died on Sept. 6. —HK

Bill Bowman

Legendary for his late-night 1970s horror show, “Shock Theatre,” Bill Bowman touched viewers near and far with his lighthearted and spooky skits, which always featured his alter ego, the Bowman Body, and started with his classic line, “Hi there, horror movie fans!” The show, which aired on WRIC, was even able to beat local ratings for Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” He told WRIC, “It was just a lot of fun.” In October, his family, friends and longtime listeners gathered to celebrate his life after his death on Sept. 29 at age 89. “You were never a stranger to Bill,” organizer and friend Helen Royea told WRIC. “He treated everyone like a friend.” —Melody Yuan

Marie Goodman Hunter

A renowned actor and community activist, Marie Goodman Hunter, 95, was also a teacher of music and speech for 30 years at John Marshall High School. Her singing life began by happenstance when a church soloist didn’t show for the service. She developed a powerful mezzo-soprano voice, which she used in theatrical productions and public services. Hunter was the first Black actor to perform in Paul Green’s long-running “Common Glory” outdoor production near Williamsburg. In theater director Bruce Miller’s appreciation, he quoted Keith Fowler, first artistic director of TheatreVirginia and with whom Hunter co-founded the American Revels Co., who described her as “one of the finest actors I know — and without doubt the most versatile.” She died Oct. 21. —HK

Paul ‘Watty’ Watson

A revered and influential member of the Richmond music community from his time at Virginia Commonwealth University in the 1970s, Paul Watson performed with a range of groups and approaches, here and in the wider world. The multi-instrumentalist, described as ubiquitous and legendary, joined acts such as House of Freaks, Ululating Mummies, Orthotonics, Mark Linkous and Sparklehorse, David Lowery and Cracker, and Griefbirds. He loved music, books and cuisine and charted his individual course among those passions. Watson was a welcome guest to any venue: He continued performing even into a near-20-year affliction with Parkinson’s disease. He was 72 when he died Nov. 20. —HK

Farid Alan Schintzius

A tireless activist most recently involved in the saving of the Richmond Community Hospital building, Farid Alan Schintzius was a grassroots political force to be reckoned with. A native of Buffalo, New York, the carpenter, Quaker and mayoral candidate was also a foundational figure for The Camel music venue and WRIR independent radio. In recent years, he successfully opposed the destruction of numerous historic properties, the Navy Hill development project, a baseball stadium planned for Shockoe Bottom and two attempts to build a casino in the city [in 2023, that effort involved flying a banner (now at the Valentine museum) above the Richmond Folk Festival]. “He was the kind of person who would always show up for his community and never hesitate to advocate for the underserved, downtrodden or voiceless,” his friend Sen. Tim Kaine said in a statement. He died Dec. 5 at 76. —MN