Dr. William Claiborne Fuqua Sr. passed away peacefully at home on Friday, March 27th after a longtime struggle with cancer. Our father, known to his family and friends as Bill, resided in Williamsburg, Virginia for over five decades. During those years, he was a forceful advocate of the town he loved as well as the state of Virginia. In life, he was a military officer, a fixture of the medical community, a traveler, a scholar, and a remarkable storyteller. More than all of those things, though, he was Dad.
Growing up in Norfolk, he was the only child of Delmore and Ruby Fuqua. Dad’s own father passed away when he was three, and he was largely raised by his mother and a colorful and insulating extended family in the Back Bay area of Tidewater. He divided the days of his youth between the city of Norfolk and a large family farm. Despite challenges, Dad excelled in high school, eventually earning an appointment to the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, where, in 1958, he proudly graduated with a degree in biology.
After graduation, Dad attended the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, where he studied dentistry, married his first wife, Mary Cary Johnston of Norfolk, and saw the birth of his first child, Clay, in 1963. Following graduation, Dad became an officer in the Army, beginning a long and proud relationship with the institution. Then, with his young family in tow, Dad was deployed to Budingen, Germany, where, in 1966, their second child, Scott, was born. From Germany, the family relocated first to San Antonio, Texas then shortly thereafter to Fort Eustis, Virginia, where their daughter, Kate, arrived in 1968. Completing his requisite military service, Dad left the Army in 1969 and began his civilian life by opening a dental practice in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Dad’s office was located in the old Professional Building on Mt Vernon Avenue where he became a beloved fixture. At a time of continued racial tensions in Virginia, he was known for treating everyone, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, black or white, rich or poor. In fact, when his patients could not afford standard payments, he often accepted goods or services such as oysters, cord wood, or top soil as unconventional forms of compensation. In the early 1970s, as children, we regularly witnessed his patients visiting our house to perform various jobs, including tree-trimming, appliance repair, and landscaping, to “pay off” an emergency root canal or vital filling. In this way he provided crucial dental care to everyone in the community.
In 1969, Dad moved our family to the Kingspoint neighborhood, adjacent to College Creek and the Colonial Parkway. This began his 50 year relationship with the community. In 1975, our parents divorced. A few years later, Dad remarried even as he oversaw the completion of his dream home, built in the Kings Point community. His new house, affectionately called the “Duck Blind” by some neighbors, sat perched on a steep lot above College Creek. Dad had taken an active role in the design, and it possessed tall outward-facing windows that capitalized on a beautiful view of the wetlands. Living in the Duck Blind, Dad enjoyed many years of bird-watching, boating, fishing and hunting.
During those years, Dad joined the National Guard, where he would rise to the rank of colonel. His military career was always important to him, and he was honored to serve. Regardless, a divorcé once again, tired of the grind that was work, Dad, at the age of 53, sold his dental practice to a young colleague and decided to retire. Thereafter, he enjoyed traveling, managing investments, working on his house, and entertaining guests with plentiful food and wine. He loved to laugh, and was always quick with a baudy joke or a witty story. He made many friends, both within the community and during his travels, frequently maintaining contact with them for years.
To Dad’s great fortune, in 2009 he met Caroline DeBondt of Richmond. Theirs was a loving and supportive relationship. At the time, she was winding up a successful career as a financial advisor in Richmond, but she shared Dad’s passion for the outdoors, friendships, laughter, and the communities of Kingspoint and Williamsburg. In 2010 she became Carrie Fuqua, as they were married on the beach in Nags Head, North Carolina, a favorite destination of theirs. Carrie and Dad happily shared the years that followed. It was Carrie who enabled our Dad to confidently navigate the last phase of his life. Over the last few months, Carrie was assisted by wonderful and devoted caregivers, Shirley Lee and Roberta Becker, from Agape Home Care. Carrie and Roberta were with Dad when he passed away in his beloved home above the marshes, grasses, and turbid waters of College Creek.
Our father Bill, Dr. William C. Fuqua Sr, was a lucky man who was often larger than life. He was loving and intelligent and could variably be exceptionally patient or overtly impetuous. He told many colorful stories over and over to any friends and family willing to listen. He could inspire joy like few people. Conversely his quick wit could leave those around him befuddled and at times incredulous. For those who knew him intimately, our Dad will always be a vital and enduring memory. Bill Fuqua made his mark on this world, he was loved by many and his passing has left a deep void.
Bill Fuqua is survived by his devoted wife Carrie and his three children and their families, including their spouses and five wonderful grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be planned for a later date for reasons of safety. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that those moved to do so make donations in his name to the Friends of the Williamsburg Regional Library, an organization he supported throughout his life.
Clay Fuqua
Kate Wendt
Scott Fuqua
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