Ransom Bryant Hare, Iii

Ransom Bryant Hare III, 85, of Lynchburg, Va., died Friday, September 9, 2016 at Westminster-Canterbury.  He was the husband of the late Katherine Clark Hare.

Bryant was born Wednesday, May 20, 1931 in Wilmington, N.C., a son of the late Ransom Bryant Hare, Jr. and Mary Stewart Hare. Bryant attended public schools in Wilmington, a proud two-time graduate of Forest Hills Elementary and a 1949 graduate of New Hanover High School. He  matriculated to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1953. At UNC Bryant was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and president of the German Club. After graduation, Bryant went to work for McLean Trucking Company in Winston-Salem, N.C. before transferring to Lynchburg in 1955. In 1965 he embarked on a career in real estate with the guidance and support of his devoted friend and mentor James Davis of Amherst County. In 1972 Bryant started his own real estate brokerage, specializing in rural farm properties. Bryant was a past president of the Lynchburg Board of Realtors and served on the board of the Virginia Association of Realtors.

Bryant was an elder and deacon at First Presbyterian Church. He was a devoted Back Pew Singer, lending his rich baritone to his favorite hymns, like “Life is Like a Mountain Railway.” He looked forward to driving Meals on Wheels with Katherine in his Jeep on snowy days. He was a member of the Bob White Lodge for many years, enjoying hunting there and the fellowship of the members. For 61 years, he relished the camaraderie of Oakwood Country Club. Pop, as he was affectionately known to the family, loved a ribald joke and limerick of which he could recite dozens. He savored “Cold Olive Soup,” sailing at Wrightsville Beach and cheering on the UNC Tar Heels.

Bryant is survived by his sons, R. Bryant Hare IV (Vicki) of Raleigh, N.C., Lloyd C. Agnew, Jr. (Ellen) of Lynchburg and Pendleton Clark Agnew (Elizabeth) of Alexandria, Va.; his grandchildren, Towns W. Agnew, Louise S. Hare, Ransom B. Hare V (Alat), Katherine L. Agnew, Pendleton C. Agnew, Jr., Ann S. Agnew, Elizabeth Stuart Agnew, and Duncan L. Agnew;  his favorite, and only, first cousin, Lizanne Lawrence of Molena, Ga.; and many nieces and nephews whose company he enjoyed very much. In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, J. Stewart Hare.

The family thanks the staff of Westminster-Canterbury for their kind and attentive care of Pop over the last two years. Pop would appreciate memorials to the Westminster-Canterbury Employee Education Fund (501 V.E.S. Road, Lynchburg) or First Presbyterian Church (1215 V.E.S Road, Lynchburg). He mentioned in his many scribbled notes, which he saved in great number, that he would like it if his friends performed a “good deed” for someone within thirty days of his passing.

The family will receive friends to celebrate and remember Bryant’s life on Wednesday, September 14, 2016 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Oakwood Country Club, 3409 Rivermont Ave, Lynchburg, Va. 24503. Services will be held privately.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.