Douglas Lees photo
Larry Leon LeHew, ex-MFH of the Rappahannock Hunt (VA) and later the Thornton Hill Hounds (VA), passed away at his home, Bel Air, in Front Royal, Virginia, on Friday, October 23, 2020. He was eighty-three.
Born February 14, 1937 in Front Royal, Larry was a direct descendant of Peter LeHew, accredited with the founding of LeHewtown, which later became Front Royal. The LeHew family at one time owned much of the land which includes modern Front Royal.
Aside from family and friends, Larry’s great passions were horses, foxhunting, and singing. Your editor can attest to Larry’s warmth and hospitality as a hunting ambassador.
My wife and I first visited Virginia on a hunting holiday about a year after Larry became Master at Rappahannock. We knew no one in the Virginia hunting world but had a day to remember at Rappahannock on that first visit. It was memorable for just plain fun, friendly members, hilly countryside, superb sport, and, at the end, the breakfast hospitality. It was a true feast in quality, proportion, and hunting camaraderie, clearly the product of a man who loved a good time—the Master, the host. For years after, every time we saw Larry, he made it a point to continue inviting us back in full sincerity. We certainly did return, and it was always a delight.
In 1999, as the result of a political disagreement within the hunt, Larry separated from Rappahannock and formed a farmer’s pack, the Thornton Hill Hounds (VA), of which he and his son, Jeff, served as Masters for the next twenty years. Thornton Hill is now Registered and Recognized by the MFHA, and Larry’s son Jeff is now a Joint-Master at the Blue Ridge Hunt (VA).
As well as hunters, Larry was a Thoroughbred owner and served as a board member of the Charles Town Races. He started and operated a successful water well drilling business, a career lasting until his death. When he wasn’t working or hunting, he was singing.
Larry sang with the likes of Bing Crosby, Gary U.S. Bonds, Freddy Fender, and Patsy Cline. He shared a stage with the Platters, Danny & the Juniors, and Peter, Paul, and Mary.
He organized two bands, played regularly at a Winchester restaurant and did guest stints at any hunt ball he happened to attend!
Bel Air, his home on a hill, is, in part, a museum. Nineteen-year-old Lucy Buck lived there during the Civil War. She documented the arrival of Robert E. Lee when the Army of Northern Virginia came to Front Royal on their retreat from Gettysburg. The Commonwealth of Virginia has placed a historical marker down the hill from the house which reads, “When General Lee returned from Gettysburg he drank buttermilk and rested at Bel Air, then the home of William M. Buck.”
The attic roof at Bel Air is scrawled over with the signatures of people who visited over the years. During a house renovation, Robert E. Lee’s signature was cut out with a knife, so Larry had the whole area covered with Plexiglas to preserve what remained.
In addition to Larry’s hunting hospitality to your editor during those early visits from Massachusetts—before succumbing and relocating to Virginia himself—Larry’s hospitality and enthusiasm for a good time drew notice from other visitors “from away” as well. In his office at Bel Air is a photograph of Larry and Jackie Onassis hunting together. Elizabeth Taylor also sent a photo of herself and ex-husband Senator John Warner thanking Larry for the gallon of moonshine he gave her, with the inscription, “I am smiling because I just had a nip of your special gift.”
Sadly, the world of foxhunting has lost one of its larger-than-life personalities. Contributions in Larry LeHew’s memory may be made to the Humane Society of Warren County, 1245 Progress Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630.
Posted November 12, 2020