Barbara “Bobbye” Brown Thorp, of Williamsburg, passed away Friday, March 1, 2019, with her husband Philip at her side. In the days before her passing, her three children, six grandchildren, sister and brother-in-law were there to comfort her.
Bobbye was born to the late Raymond and Bonnie Brown in New York City. She graduated from Center Moriches High School, New York, and the College of William & Mary. Bobbye married Philip in Williamsburg in June 1955. Throughout their 64 years of marriage, Bobbye and Phil remained deeply in love and devoted to one another.
In addition to her husband, Bobbye is survived by her sister, Mary-Lewis Chapman (Andrew Chapman); daughters, Mary-Lewis Thorp Wine (Jeffrey Wine) and Lucy Thorp Perkins (Tony Perkins); son, Mitchell Thorp (Patty Sullivan); and grandchildren, Sam Wallace III, Tyler Wallace, Elizabeth Wallace, Samantha Perkins, Cole Perkins and Matthew Thorp.
Before becoming parents, Bobbye and Phil lived in the historic area, where Bobbye worked as a costumed hostess and Phil started his career as a silversmith. They later moved to Kingspoint, where they raised their three children. In 2017, Bobbye and Phil moved to Williamsburg Landing. She was a fulltime mother to her three children and a devoted and involved grandmother to her grandchildren, near and far.
She was an avid tennis player for many years, a longtime member of the Garden Club and a member of the Red Hat Society. Bobbye had a big personality like her father, “Big Daddy,” and her presence was often known by her frequent and infectious laugh.
A celebration of life gathering will be held at the Kingspoint Neighborhood Clubhouse at a future date.
In lieu of sending flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Heritage Humane Society, 430 Waller Mill Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185; or Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 28 W 44th St., #609, New York, NY 10036.
