Richard Louis Medley
December 25, 1929 – March 30, 2010

Age 90 years, 3 months, and 5 days
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Psalm 116:15)
Born on Christmas Day, 1929, Richard Louis Medley was the first child from the union of Theodore
Dewitt and Elenora Addison Medley.

Richard was a lifelong resident of the Stephens City area. Despite growing up in a time of racial
segregation, he kept company with everyone. He recounted playing baseball with White children in his
neighborhood who never made an issue of his color. In fact, it was his baseball skill that earned him
the nickname "Bunny." He remained close to those friends all of his life, and truly missed each one as
they were called into eternity. Bunny was a friend of the community, helping with community projects
and groups. He cared deeply for the Locust Grove Cemetery, as it was an abiding symbol of his
heritage. In addition to serving on its board of directors, Richard helped maintain and improve the
cemetery for more than 50 years. In later years, he joined the trustee board of St. John's Baptist
Church to maintain its value as a place of worship for African Americans in the Stephens City
community. In later years, when the church was vacated, he helped form the St. John's Baptist Church
Foundation to continue the legacy for which the church was founded. He served tirelessly on both
boards until his transition.

Having grown up in the years following the Great Depression, Richard lived a life of strong work ethic.
He started working for the Grove Lime Company around the age of 10 to help his parents and his two
younger sisters. As a teenager, He worked at the George Washington Hotel but received an
opportunity to work for the Southern Baking Company. Starting as a porter, he worked and learned
everything about the baking process and earned the position of baker, one of the first Negro bakers in
the Winchester plant. When the Winchester plant closed, he commuted to Harrisonburg to continue
baking until he was hired to work with his father at the American Viscose plant (later Avtex Fibers) in
Front Royal. He excelled in his work there, earning the position of lead charge hand and acting foreman
during his 26 years of service.

Once Avtex closed, he found a job doing overnight floor maintenance at Walmart. He continued in this
role until Walmart transitioned him to a daytime custodian role, which would become the crowning
position in his nearly 80 years of employment. A natural socialite, "Mister Medley" as he was known
throughout the store, touched the lives of employees and shoppers with his infectious smile and
charming conversation. His face became a pillar in store #2306, where he was unofficially dubbed the
Mayor of Walmart until his retirement in 2015.

In addition to outside employment, Richard was also an entrepreneur. He spent many years raising
hogs and cows and reselling country hams during the Christmas season. He learned the skill of
foundation preparation for new homes, and combining that skill with his floor maintenance
knowledge, he and his sons formed Medley Enterprises in the early 90's. Through hard work and
persistence, he bid and won a contract with the United States Postal Service to perform the floor
maintenance at the Stephens City facility.

Richard loved his family and his home. He met the love of his life, Julia May Stern, in 1946. After five
years of dating, they joined in holy matrimony on December 22, 1951 in Stephens City. They spent the
next 47 years raising their family and building a life together until Julia passed into eternity on February
8, 1999. "Hun" was the apple of his eye, and he stood by her until parted by death and loved her until
reunited by death. Richard rented house for nearly 20 years; but he dreamed of building a home for
his family to share beyond his lifetime. In the late 1960's, he bought a parcel of land along state Route
641, in an area known as "Freetown." Despite many setbacks and words of discouragement, Richard
broke ground and began to build his home. After a contractor laid the foundation and frame of the
house, Richard finished the interior work himself, with help from family and friends. In April 1971, he
realized his dream and moved his family into the home he built. That home became the hub of the
Medley Family, a place where everyone gathered to celebrate joyful occasions and to comfort in times
of sadness. It remained his home until he transitioned to his heavenly home.

Despite his countless hours of work and civic duties, Bunny maintained an affinity for television. He
found ways to watch his favorite television shows … daytime soap operas! Search for Tomorrow,
Another World, and Days of our Lives (which became his favorite once it outlived the others) were his
weekday routine. After 4pm weekdays, and on Saturdays, you could find Bunny watching a western
movie like "Hang 'em High", or an episode of "Gunsmoke." Sundays were reserved for television
football! Why? Because he was a fervent Dallas Cowboys fan in the middle of Redskins territory, so he
could only see his team play on television. And, although he never operated a computer or a smart
phone, he was very intrigued by "The Facebook" and enjoyed knowing his family and friends could see
pictures of his life when others shared them.

Above all his family and professional accomplishments, Richard loved the Lord Jesus Christ and live his
life as a man of faith. He shared his testimony that he was saved in 1957 and baptized in the name of
Jesus by his brother in-law, Elder Tom Parson. He tarried at the altar of the church until he was filled
with the Holy Ghost, and he did speak in tongues as the spirit of God gave utterance. He joined The
Glorious Church of God in Christ, under the leadership of Elder Roland Pollard, and fellowshipped there
for more than 40 years. While a member, he taught the adult Sunday School class and served as both a
deacon and trustee. After the congregation relocated, he continued to work as a building trustee and
was a founding member of the Saint John's Baptist Church Foundation, which preserved the religious
and historic heritage of the facility.

Richard left his world behind and entered life eternal on Monday, March 30, 2019, at his home. He
leaves four generations to live out his legacy:
Children: Sharon Medley (Charles) Washington, Denise and Dennis Medley, Ellena "Toni" Medley
(Gregory) McBride, Blane (Ginger) Medley, Special daughter in the Lord, Gwendolyn Bangura,
Fur Child: Mister Butch, the dog
Grandchildren: Keysha Washington (Gregg) Mathes, Charmissa Washington (Kevin) Biscoe, Charles
Wesley Washington, Jr., Kristen Leigh-Ann Doleman, Julia Shay McBride
Great Grandchildren: Nykeya Mathes (Benjamin, III) Paige, Shauneece Mathes, Asia Mathes, Gregory
(Jacqueline) Mathes, Tasha Biscoe (Billy) Virts, Kevin (December) Biscoe, Robert Thomas
Great-Great Grandchildren: Amani, Amaya, and Aryanna Thomas, Shawn Leviticus Virts, Gregory
Dwayne, Jr., MacKenzie, and Zoe Grace Mathes, Korben and Selah Paige, and a host of nieces, nephews
and connected children who lovingly referred to him as Uncle Bunny or Granddaddy.

Predeceased: Parents: Theodore Dewitt Medley and Elenora Addison Medley, Wife: Julia Mae Stern
Medley
Sisters: Lula Medley (Avance) Smith, Yvonne Medley (Tom) Parson, Eva Medley (William) Foster
Brother: Theodore Dewitt Medley, Jr. (Brother)
Children: Richard Louis Medley, Jr. and a baby daughter
Great Grandchild: Joshua Allen Washington

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to:
St. John's Baptist Church Foundation                  Locust Grove Cemetery, Inc.
Post Office Box 22                        c/o Garland Williams Jr., Treasurer
Stephens City, Virginia 22655                           5336 Water Street
Stephens City, Virginia 22655