The Honorable William Randall Light

The Honorable William Randall Light, 53, of Lynchburg, VA, died Friday, October 28, 2011.  He was the husband of Lisa Burcher Light for 20 years.

 

Born Thursday, September 11, 1958 in Lynchburg, VA, Judge Light was a son of John Leftwich Light and the late Patricia Wilson Light.

 

In addition to his wife and his father, Judge Light is survived by  a son; William Randall Light II,  a daughter; Madeline Gibson Light, of Lynchburg, two brothers; John Douglas Light and his wife, Linda, of Harrisonburg, VA, and Bruce Fuller Light and his wife, Laura, of Evington, a sister; Lisbeth Light Moore and her husband, Blaine, Tampa, FL, a father in-law and mother in-law, R. Lee Burcher and Flewellen Fite Burcher, of Amherst, two brothers in-law; Robert Lee Burcher, Jr. and his wife, Amy Farnsworth, of Las Vegas, NV, and Christopher Lee Burcher, of Abington, VA, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

 

Judge Light was born in Lynchburg where his family has ancestry and property dating back to the 1600\"™s. He attended EC Glass High School and was a graduate of Emory & Henry College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Juris Doctor from Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University. Following a successful private practice in law, he was elected by the Virginia General Assembly to the Lynchburg Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court for the 24th Judicial District of Virginia in 2003.

 

He was active in numerous civic activities including leadership roles in St. Paul\"™s Episcopal Church, Hill City Masonic Lodge #183 (32 degree Scottish Rite), US Priory of the Order of St. John, the Lynchburg Bar Association and a Major in the Virginia Defense Force.

 

Judge Light was really a renaissance man without any pretentious airs. He loved books and history, competed in Scottish games and played the French horn, football, rugby, polo and the sport of fencing. You would often see Judge Light attired with a big bow tie. In the evenings, he enjoyed challenging his family to watch and compete in Jeopardy.

The opportunity to serve the citizens of Virginia as the Lynchburg Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court judge was one of his greatest dreams. He was a kind man who loved children and tried to turn their lives around. He also respected and appreciated all of the staff he worked with each day.

 

Judge Light cherished his wife Lisa and their children Will and Maddie. He will be remembered with love and respect by his family, friends and associates.

 

A celebration of Judge Light\"™s life will be held at 1 P.M. on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 in the chapel of St. Paul\"™s Episcopal Church, with the Rev. Bill Bumgarner, Rev. Todd Vie, and the Rev. Dr. J. Douglas Wigner officiating.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 605 Clay Street, Lynchburg, VA, 24504; or the Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center, 1920 Atherholt Road, Lynchburg, VA, 24501.

 

The family would like to especially thank Dr. John Halpin, Dr. Johanna Brown, Dr. Kathleen Paul, Dr. Cecilia MacCallum, the Out Patient Department at Virginia Baptist, the Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center, and the incredibly compassionate and caring nurses and staff of the 4th Floor Oncology Unit at Lynchburg General Hospital.

 

Tharp Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family, 434-237-9424.