S

William Downing Duvall

Born, February 26, 1937, Died, May 23, 2023

William D. Duvall, Known by many as Bill or "Doc", was born in Washington DC to William Andrew Duvall and Gladys Downing Duvall. The family, including a younger sister, Sandra, and a younger brother, Donald, lived in a home on Pennsylvania Avenue in DC.

Bill attended Anacostia High School. Upon graduation, he attended the University of Maryland, studying Animal science. While at Maryland, Bill met the love of his life, Joyce Wilson. The two were married and around that time, Bill was accepted to the veterinary school at the University of Georgia. Bill often commented about those four years being some of the best times in his and Joyce's lives.

In 1963, a year before he graduated Veterinary school, Bill and Joyce welcomed their first and only child, William II. After his Veterinary graduation, the small family moved to Vienna, Virginia where Bill began practice at Blue Cross Animal Hospital. After a couple of years later and with the help of his father, Bill opened his own practice in Woodbridge, Virginia. It would be called, Occoquan Animal Hospital. The hospital would become one of the leading practices in Prince William County and after 25 years, Bill retired.

The family moved from Woodbridge to Hitch Hollow farm, near Linden, Virginia. The farm had been in the family for many generations. Bill became a full time farmer, growing crops and tending cattle over the years. He and Joyce purchased a vacation home on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. All was good for many years, but in January of 2011, Joyce passed away at their Hilton Head home. She was 73 years old. Bill carried on without Joyce but life would never be the same without her.

On May 23, 2023, Bill passed away while doing what he loved to do for so many years, working on the farm. Bill is survived by his son, Bill II and his partner, Melinda, and two nieces, Audra Moore and Pam Moore Vasserman.

A visitation will be held at Maddox Funeral Home in Front Royal, Virginia on Friday, May 26, 2023 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. A graveside service will be held at Leeds Cemetery in Hume, Virginia on Saturday, May 27, 2023 at 2:00 pm. There will be a procession to the cemetery on Saturday, leaving Maddox Funeral Home at 1:30 pm.

Obituaries

Vasco "Sonny" DeVaca Jones Jr

Vasco "Sonny" DeVaca Jones Jr., born on March 5, 1944 to Vasco D. Jones and Margaret Weaver Jones in Rocky Mount, NC, passed away suddenly from complications of Alzheimer's on May 22, 2023.

He started his post office career as a letter carrier in Arlington, VA. After moving to Marshall, VA, he was a rural mail carrier for many years. Later, he became a much-loved Postmaster in Rectortown, VA.

He was a well-respected scout master in Boy Scout Troop 177 in Marshall, VA and later in Troop 92 in Warrenton, VA, where he not only guided his sons to their Eagle Scout Rank but others too. After retiring from the Post Office, he became special education teacher for grades K- 3 while working on his graduate degree in education.

Sonny loved to work with his hands. He and his wife literally built their own house. They did it all including designing, wiring, plumbing, and tiling. They lived there for 44 years before moving to MD to a retirement community. Sonny built Kung Fu practice dummies along with toys, birdhouses, candleholders and anything else he could think of building.

Sonny was an outgoing, welcoming person who never met a stranger. He loved his community, neighbors, the outdoors, and his many pets.

He leaves behind his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth Underwood Jones; son, Gregory L. Jones (Lauren); grandson, Everett S. Jones; son, Tyler D. Jones (Lisa); brother, David H. Jones and sister, Susan J. Piner (Robert) and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Peggy J. Nicholson.

Remembrances may be sent to Elizabeth Jones, 3128 Gracefield Rd., Apt. 110, Silver Spring, MD 20904. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (https://www.alzdiscovery.org).

A full obituary may be found at https://www.collinsfuneralhome.com