William Lewis “Bill” Fairchild

The grandson of a Union soldier, William H. Fairchild, from the 1st New York Dragoons, Bill chose to enlist in the U.S. Navy, serving during Vietnam on the USS Impervious and on Johnston Island in the Pacific. Following his service to our country, he then returned to his home to go on to become a K-9, police officer in Hollywood, Florida. Upon the discovery of cancer in Connie’s mother, Garnett, Bill chose to leave his career as a policeman and move his family to West Virginia to allow his family to be by her side as she fought her own battle and eventually doing the same for Connie’s father, Lovell, becoming an extended and beloved son and brother.  Eventually moving to the Charlottesville area and settling at Lake Monticello to join General Electric and GE-Fanuc, Bill continued his service to others, having been a deacon of Effort Baptist Church and also a volunteer fireman with the Lake Monticello Volunteer Fire Department in his years prior to retirement.  Always funny and bringing laughter to others, it was a joy to be in his life and to have him in theirs.  A true and honorable man, Bill was also devoted to his family, who loved him more than words can ever express.
Bill joins his parents, William S. and Alma Jane Fairchild of Hialeah, Florida, in Heaven, as well as his grandmother, Grace Lascell, who lived to be the oldest, surviving, Civil War widow at the age of 100 in 1986.  He is survived by his wife, Connie, and their children, Lynn Fairchild Martin of Lynchburg and Chris Fairchild of Lake Monticello, as well as daughter Carrie Jackson of Florida. He was also blessed with grandchildren, Hunter Fairchild of Richmond, Kelsey Martin of Lynchburg, Kayla Fairchild of Lynchburg, and Charles “Chip” Martin of George Mason University, as well as the addition of his new, great-grandson, Carter Jackson Wooldridge of Lynchburg.  He is also survived by his sister, Bonnie Fairchild of Florida, and siblings-in-law, Ron Johnson, Mike Johnson, and Penny Johnson of Sissonville, West Virginia, as well as his numerous nieces and nephews whom he loved as dearly as his own children.
The family is enormously grateful to the physicians, nurses, and staff of Martha Jefferson and University of Virginia Hospitals, the Emily Couric Cancer Center, Hope Cancer Center, the UVA Pain Management Center, and the Hospice of the Piedmont.
Donations may be made to the Lake Monticello Volunteer Rescue Squad (lmvfr.org/site), as well as the Hospice of the Piedmont of Charlottesville (www.hopva.org/donate-now).