Dr. Robert LeRoy Bashore

Dr. Robert LeRoy Bashore, 88, of Forest, died Monday, April 8, 2024. Born February 18, 1936, in Fredericksburg, PA, Bob was the husband of Joy Wackerbarth Bashore and the son of LeRoy Walter and Mae Weidner Bashore.  

Bob is survived by his son Scott, his wife, Kristin, and their three children, Julia, Nolan and Aidan, of Ashburn, Virginia, and his son Rob, and his wife, Elizabeth, and their two children, Lilly and Davis, of Charlotte, NC.  He also leaves a sister Elaine of Myerstown, PA and a brother Dennis of Belmont, NY. 

After serving in the Military Police in the US Army for three years, Bob graduated from Defiance College, Defiance, Ohio, and moved to Roanoke, VA where he worked for eight years for the Boy Scouts of America as a district executive, first in Salem and then in the New River Valley.  He then earned a master’s degree in counseling at Radford College and began work at Central Virginia Community College where he became dean of students in 1980 after receiving his doctorate in higher education from Virginia Tech.

Bob always credited the Boy Scouts for giving him direction and life skills and was determined to repay them for being there when he was young. Bob remained active in scouting long after earning his Eagle Scout rank.  He worked at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico while attending undergraduate school and served on the Blue Ridge Mountains Council Scout Executive Board from 1972 until his passing. He was honored with the Silver Beaver Award – the highest honor for volunteer service to youth in 1990. Bob served as Council Commissioner for 5 years and as Council President from 2001-2003. The Mormon Church honored Bob with their Family Value Award in 2014. Bob was a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 

Bob was also active in his church, St. Andrew Presbyterian, serving several terms as both deacon and elder. 

Bob served in county government for 16 years on the Campbell County School Board, three years as chair, and nine years on the Bedford County Board of Supervisors, two years as chair. After retirement from CVCC in 2001 he continued to serve actively on the College Education Foundation Board, served as a member of the Forest Volunteer Fire Department Board, assisting in fundraising for a new building. He also served as chair of the Campbell County Library Foundation Board, assisting in fundraising for the new Timbrook library. He spent 10 years on the Lyncag Board and the Bedford International Alliance – a twinning organization that partnered with eleven towns in Normandy, France – serving as chairman of the board for several years, this led to Bob serving as a tour guide at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford since 2015.

Bob’s favorite activity was serving on the National Ski Patrol at Wintergreen for over 25 years. He served as an EMT instructor and at the age of 72 earned the Outstanding Patroller award. 

Bob was a servant leader.

He also enjoyed many years playing golf at Ivy Hill – one of the happiest days of his life was when at age 79 he made a hole in one on Ivy Hill’s 18th hole. He loved traveling with the love of his life Joy, making 30 special international trips. Bob is with Joy – they were married for 58 years.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 Langhorne Road, Lynchburg, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Joy and Robert Bashore Scholarship fund care of the CVCC Educational Foundation at 3506 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA 24502 to aid non-traditional-aged women returning to school.