In Memoriam: 1960s
Notices sorted by graduation date
John A. “Jack” Docherty III (Educ ’61 CM) of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, died July 28, 2025. Prior to attending UVA, he served in the U.S. Navy, where he was named All Sea Service in football. He came to UVA on a football scholarship, playing under then–defensive back coach Don Shula, and was a member of the boxing team and the golf team. He also joined the Honor Committee, the IMP Society, T.I.L.K.A., and the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, and was student president of the School of Education. He had a successful career in surgical instruments. His firm, the Zimmer-Docherty Boston Orthopedic Medical Firm, assisted in the very early design of total hip and knee surgical implants at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital. In retirement, he became the chairman of Hilton Head Island’s Planning Commission. Survivors include his wife, Velma Docherty (Nurs ’60 CM); four children; nine grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Tess Johnston (Educ ’61, Grad ’63 CM) of Washington, D.C., and Shanghai, China, died Sept. 14, 2025. After graduating from high school in Charlottesville, she joined the foreign service and was stationed in Germany, where she gained an appreciation for architecture. She returned to Charlottesville to study at UVA, studying English and German because architecture was not then available to women. After earning her master’s degree from The College of William & Mary, she joined the U.S. Agency for International Development in South Vietnam, later recounting her time during the Vietnam War in a memoir. She joined the U.S. State Department and went to live in Shanghai, where she worked as executive secretary to the consul general. She developed a fascination with the colonial, pre communist architecture of Shanghai and dedicated her career to pioneering its historic preservation. She collected oral histories and, through her partnership with Shanghai photographer Er Dong Qiang, published 25 books that chronicled the city’s architecture. She returned to the U.S. upon her retirement in 2016. She left no immediate survivors.
Sandra Dillon Payne (Nurs class of ’61) of Manassas, Virginia, died April 10, 2025. During her nursing career, she was employed by the hospital at the University of Virginia, as well as Fairfax Hospital, Prince William Hospital and Annaburg Manor in Manassas during its time as a senior living community. She was a “Pink Lady,” an original member of the UVA Health Auxiliary that served the Prince William Hospital. At the time of her death, she was a lifetime member of the Buckhall Volunteer Fire Department and an affiliate of the UVA Health system. She was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America, serving as den mother, den leader and pack committee chairperson with Troop 1185. Her nursing school classmates remember her as a wonderful friend and dedicated poet who once wrote a poem recounting her class’s experiences during its days at McKim Hall and the UVA hospital. Survivors include two sons, one sister, six grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.
William Wray Eckl (Law ’62 CM) of Atlanta died Aug. 2, 2025. The Alabama native received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame before coming to UVA to study law. Early in his career, he clerked for the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, served as a captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps and practiced law at two firms in Atlanta. He then became one of the founding partners of Drew Eckl & Farnham. He enjoyed reading, discussing politics and listening to his extensive collection of classical music. He was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Mary Lynn, who died just nine days prior. Survivors include two children, including Eric Eckl (Col ’90 CM); a son-in-law; two grandchildren; a brother-in-law; a sister-in-law; and numerous members of his extended family.
R. Peter Killinger (Med ’62 CM) of Houston died June 29, 2025. He completed his undergraduate education at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he played varsity soccer. He then came to UVA to study medicine, before heading to Houston to complete his residency in pediatric cardiology. In 1965, he deployed to Vietnam as a doctor with the 1st Marine Brigade and completed his medical training as a lieutenant commander at the U.S. Naval Medical Clinic Annapolis in Maryland. In 1969, he returned to Houston to start his pediatric practice, where he spent 41 years. He shared jokes, sports trivia and life’s challenges with patients and their families, becoming lovingly known as “Painless Pete.” He enjoyed family dinners, old friends, good books, the family dogs, youth baseball, ACC basketball, tennis and golf. He was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy. Survivors include his wife of recent years, Marilyn; his three children, Bob; Leslie Killinger Yzaguirre (Col ’83 CM) and Margaret “Mimi” Killinger (Col ’88 CM); six grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; his brother; one great-grandchild; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Peter William Topken II (Com ’62 CM) of Charlotte, North Carolina, died Jan. 13, 2025. He attended UVA on a full naval scholarship. He immersed himself in university life, joining Naval ROTC, Phi Delta Theta and Delta Sigma Pi. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and in Chu Lai, Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. He then pursued a career in food machinery sales, later transitioning to real estate investing. He loved music, reading and traveling. An avid sports fan, he enjoyed running, skiing, cycling and playing table tennis, as well as cheering on the Cavaliers. Survivors include his wife, Kathy; three children; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two sisters.
Hauthaway “Way” Mabbett Jr. (Darden ’65 CM) of Roxbury, Connecticut, died July 12, 2025. He studied English literature at Hamilton College and then received his MBA from UVA. He had a successful career in business, serving as chief finance officer for Timex and International Nuclear Insurers, later investing in and advising various companies. His fascination with the stock market was lifelong, and he pursued it with the same vigor he brought to every endeavor. He was also a voracious reader, devouring newspapers, magazines and books, particularly those on news and politics. He loved traveling the world and immersing himself in various cultures, exchanging conversation with locals wherever he went. Survivors include his wife, Deborah; his daughter; two grandchildren; one sister; and several nieces and nephews.
Owen B. “O.B.” Towery III (Col class of ’67, Med class of ’71) of Orinda, California, died April 26, 2025. He began his studies at George Mason College, then a branch of UVA, before transferring to the Charlottesville campus in 1965. As an undergraduate, he majored in English, played rugby, and was active in several volunteer programs that eventually became the foundation for Madison House, the nonprofit volunteer center for UVA students. He continued his studies at the university’s School of Medicine and then completed his residency in psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. At the time of his death, he was seeing patients at his private practice and at John Muir Health Behavioral Health Center in Concord, California. His dedication and passion for his vocation were evident to his colleagues and patients alike. He loved learning, reading, gardening and spending time outdoors. Survivors include his wife, Michele Gabbay; three children, including Jacob Towery (Med class of ’06); five siblings, including Sara Towery O’Hara (Col ’78 CM), Mark Towery (Col class of ’80) and Timothy Towery (Com ’82 CM); and seven grandchildren.
Anthony C. Collins (Col ’68 CM) of Reston, Virginia, died Sept. 3, 2025. Raised in Asheville, North Carolina, he came to Virginia to attend George Mason College (then a branch of UVA). He transferred to the UVA campus in Charlottesville a year later to study history. While there, he worked at the university radio station, WUVA, igniting his lifelong fascination with radio news. This passion led him first to the University of Pennsylvania to study communications and then to work at ABC News in Washington, D.C. After a short stint in the military was ended by his poor eyesight, he joined the English language branch of Voice of America, an international broadcast news network funded by the U.S. government, where he was remembered as a dedicated worker who remained calm in the frenzied pace of the newsroom. He stayed active in retirement, working at Barnes & Noble and as a volunteer for Travelers Aid International at Dulles International Airport. Survivors include his wife, Belinda L. Collins (Grad ’71, ’73 CM).
Berrien Moore III (Grad class of ’69) of Norman, Oklahoma, died Dec. 17, 2024. He first attended the University of North Carolina and then earned his doctorate in mathematics from UVA. He went on to an influential career as a climate advocate, research scientist and professor of earth science. For almost three decades, he was the director of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire. In 2008, he became the founding executive director of Climate Central, a think tank that communicates and educates on the impacts of climate change and possible solutions. He also served as the director of the National Weather Center. He held various leadership positions in the sciences throughout his career, including on various committees at the National Academy of Science and on the NASA Advisory Council. Survivors include his wife, Lucia; one daughter; and two stepchildren.