In Memorium: Dr. Dave Brillhart

One of the founders of the Virginia Creeper Trail, Dr. David Brillhart, died yesterday. Below is his obituary as listed in the Bristol Herald-Courier (italics mine).

ABINGDON – Dr. David M. Brillhart died peacefully at his home early Wednesday morning, Feb. 7, 2007.
Dr. Brillhart was born on Nov. 14, 1925, in Troutville, Va., the son of Arlie Raphael and Lelia Dove Brillhart. After high school, he attended VPI until he was drafted into the service during World War II, where he served in the European Theater as an infantry scout. After the war, he attended Bridgewater College, from which he graduated in 1948. He then entered the Medical College of Virginia, where he met his future wife, Charlotte Long, whom he married on Oct. 14, 1949. After being in Abingdon as a medical student, David decided to come to Abingdon to practice medicine as a general practitioner after graduation. Starting in the era of home calls, Dr. Brillhart had a medical career spanning over 35 years, during which time he delivered hundreds of babies and, together with Ed Hill, served as team physician for the Abingdon High School football team. Although Dr. Brillhart was extremely busy with his medical practice, being on call at the emergency room, and making rounds at the hospital and nursing homes, he always found time to spend with his family. He was always a devoted and loving husband and father. After retiring in 1990, Dr. Brillhart continued to pursue his lifelong hobbies of woodworking, photography, painting, music and hiking. In the 1970s, he and fellow planning commission member, Dr. French Moore Jr., developed and pursued the idea of transforming the about-to-be-abandoned Norfolk and Western rail line between Abingdon and Whitetop Station into a recreational trail, which eventually became the Virginia Creeper Trail. Dr. Brillhart believed that the Creeper Trail might be his most lasting legacy. Dr. Brillhart was raised in the Brethren Church, but became a member of Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church after coming to Abingdon, where he was a choir member for many years.
Survivors include his wife of 57 years, Charlotte Brillhart of Abingdon; one daughter, Anne Meinrath of Woodlands, Texas; one son, Mike Brillhart of Abingdon; four grandchildren, Lesley Icenogle, David Meinrath, Maggie Brillhart and Sallie Brillhart; and several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of the life of Dr. David M. Brillhart will be conducted at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, at the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Dr. Robert N. Lominack Jr. and the Rev. Robert Tolar Jr. officiating. The family will receive friends in the parlor of the Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church immediately following the service. Private interment will be conducted on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007, in Botetourt County, Va.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Virginia Creeper Trail Club, P.O. Box 2382, Abingdon, VA 24212; or to the Arts Depot, 314 Depot Square, Abingdon, VA 24210 in memory of Dr. David M. Brillhart. Online condolences may be submitted to the family of Dr. Brillhart at www.frostfuneralhome.com.
Frost Funeral Home, 250 E. Main St., Abingdon, (276) 628-2131, is serving the family of Dr. David M. Brillhart.