Richard "Rusty" Thomas Shropshire

SHROPSHIRE, Richard Thomas, 50, of Richmond, Va., passed away Oct. 2, 2015, at his home. He was the beloved son of Anne Gravely Shropshire and the late Jonah Thomas Shropshire of Richmond. He was the grandson of the late Richard P. Gravely Jr. and Bennie M. Gravely and the late Joseph E. Shropshire and Verna T. Shropshire, all of Martinsville, Va. In addition to his mother, he is survived by aunts, Elizabeth G. Sullivan of Alexandria, Sally G. Parker of Sanford, N.C., Sherlie M. Doherty of Roanoke and Donna K. Shropshire of Richmond; and uncle, Edward M. Gravely of Martinsville, as well as many cousins.

He attended the Collegiate School, Richmond and was a graduate of the Woodberry Forest School, Woodberry Forest, Va., where he played both football and lacrosse. He received his BA degree in Government and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Society and his MBA from the Darden School of Business at UVA. He had served as Chief Market Analyst for the Virginia State Corporation Commission and was later co-founder and Chief Equity Consultant of MOS Capital, Inc., in Virginia Beach. He was currently employed as Lead Health Insurance Specialist, Project Manager and Contracting Officer’s Representative III for the Division of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. He was listed in the International Who’s Who in Business in 1994 and had served on the Board of Directors of Henry County Plywood Corp.

Affectionately known as “Rusty” to his family and friends, he had been a kayaker, trail runner, avid bicyclist and an adventurous trekker and mountaineer, having climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, as a tribute to his late father. He had most recently climbed Mera Peak in the Himalayas of Nepal, reaching the summit at 23,000 feet. Rusty had many other interests, but he also cared deeply about the environment and the problems of hunger and poverty, especially in Africa. He was his mother’s rock and mainstay and lived his life with the highest personal integrity while living his dreams. Witty, fun-loving and kind, he will be deeply mourned and fondly remembered, not only by his family but also his many friends here and abroad.

A memorial service to honor Rusty and to celebrate his life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 24, 2015, at The Parham Chapel-Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd., Richmond, Va. 23229. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, consider a donation in Rusty’s name to Heifer International (www.heifer.org), a foundation dedicated to the elimination of world poverty and hunger or to the Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org).