The Honorable Kenneth N. “Ken” Whitehurst Jr., 80, died peacefully at rest Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Virginia Beach.
Raised by Kenneth and Edith Whitehurst on their family farm in Princess Anne County, and a graduate of Princess Anne High School, Ken earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and married Ms. Martha McKeel.
After serving a brief time in the U.S. Army, he received his law degree in 1966 from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary, and returned to the newly-formed City of Virginia Beach to begin his law practice.
At 29, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served for one term, from 1968 to 1970. Following the death of his wife, Martha, in 1969, he decided not to seek re-election.
Within a few years, he met and married Lillie Laderberg, and, together for nearly 47 years, they raised a daughter and son, welcomed three grandsons, traveled the world, and enjoyed beaches from Virginia to Florida, to Mexico and back.
In 1972, he was appointed to the Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, where he served until his elevation to the Virginia Beach Circuit Court in 1979. In 2000, Judge Whitehurst retired from the bench, but continued to serve as a mediator for many years.
To all who knew him, Ken was kind, fun-loving, and a man who believed in the importance of family. An eleventh-generation resident of Tidewater, he was a living encyclopedia of local history, and could entertain anyone with stories of old Virginia Beach and of life “down in the county.” If you were from here, he was probably convinced you were “some kin,” and would name relatives until he could prove it. He was usually right.
He is survived by his wife, Lillie L. Whitehurst; daughter, Nanette W. Parsons, and her husband, Brian; son, Kenneth N. Whitehurst III, and his wife, Whitney; and three grandchildren, Merrick S. Parsons, Kenneth N. Whitehurst IV and Grayson M. Whitehurst.
The family would like to thank Doctors Thomas Alberico, Scott Williams, Mark Sinesi and Anthony Hardt for their extraordinary care of Ken, as well as Sentara Hospice Services and Pigeon Hoggany and her ministry of caregivers.
A memorial service will be held at noon, Saturday, Nov. 10, at Eastern Shore Chapel following a private burial.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, the American Cancer Society, the Cancer Care Foundation of Tidewater or charity of your choice.
Share online condolences with the family at H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts.
