Remembering the Honorable
R. Terrence Ney

On November 24, 2014, we lost a truly extraordinary Virginian and a beloved member of the VBA family when past VBA President and Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Terry Ney died after a heroic battle against cancer. He is survived by his wife Ursula, known affectionately as Uschi, another beloved member of the VBA family, and daughters Anja and Shaler.

Terry received his bachelor's degree from Harvard College and his law degree from the University of Texas. He was a former partner in the law firms of Boothe, Prichard & Dudley and McGuireWoods, where he distinguished himself as a superb trial and appellate lawyer and as a loyal colleague. Over the course of his career, Terry was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Virginia Law Foundation, and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. His numerous professional and personal accomplishments are set forth in detail in this obituary.

Terry's profound, postive impact on the VBA cannot be overstated. As VBA President and in numerous other roles, Terry made the VBA immeasurably better. He was also a devoted husband to Uschi, and they were a constant presence at VBA meetings, always lighting up the room with their good cheer, humor, and laughter. The privilege of having dinner with the Neys was as good as it gets.

When the sad news of Terry's death reached the VBA, we notified all 31 living past presidents of the VBA by email. In response, we received an outpouring of heartfelt remembrances and tributes regarding Terry that underscored the greatness of the man, the high esteem in which he was held, and his unwavering devotion to the VBA. I wish that I could share all of these poignant posts with you, but my space is limited. Here are some representative samples:

"These remembrances of Terry remind me of the time I met him. ... Terry was then and remains, to me, the epitome of a Virginia gentleman lawyer, an example of what I hoped one day to become. ... What I remember most is the way he warmly welcomed me into the new world of service to our profession and to society. I will be forever grateful for Terry's courtesy, encouragement, friendship, support, good humor and public service. I am saddened to think that our new young lawyers will not have the same opportunity to be touched by his grace. I know I am not alone. ..."

"We have lost a Lion. Judge Ney touched and positively influenced generations of his peers and young lawyers. A more humble, thoughtful and scholarly friend we will never know."

"I particularly recall Terry's uncanny ability when carrying on a conversation to be sure that you knew that at that point in time the most important thing to him was to find out how you and your spouse were doing, what was going on in your practice and how your life was going generally. His positive encouragement was uplifting. What better example could we have had than Terry of what the VBA represents, and whose path could we better follow than his in striving to be our best as Virginia lawyers, jurists and people."

"He knew how special the VBA was, and he never tired of sharing his enthusiasm about the organization with others. He also knew how to enjoy life. I first met him when he was playing with his lawyer band at an event in Fairfax, and he used to joke about all his horseback riding injuries. He tried it all, and he did it all well. What a distinguished lawyer, judge, and gentleman!"

"Terry was special in so many ways -- in his devotion to Uschi, in his love of animals and in his commitment to our profession and The Virginia Bar Association. ... We may forget what Terry said and we may forget what Terry did, but we will never forget how he made us feel."

"Class is a vanishing concept. Terry had it as a man and as a leader of our profession. Cherish."

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A true citizen lawyer and consummate gentleman, Terry embodied all of the attributes that reflect the highest ideals of our profession, especially civility, honor, and integrity. He greatly valued advocacy and public service on behalf of Virginians in need. He was a genuine Renaissance man: a lawyer, a judge, a scholar, a horseman, a mandolin picker, an historian, and much more.

The words that best capture Terry Ney are his own. The four President Page columns that Terry wrote for the VBA Journal during his presidency are extraordinary -- beautifully written, thematically connected, scholarly, provocative, powerful, moving. Read all four columns (PDF).

In the first column, Terry did a masterful job of showing how the VBA's work supports the Four Freedoms that are the bedrock of American liberty. His second column emphasized how an "aggressive reclaiming of the higher ground of decency, integrity, and ... civility" was necessary for a "positive translation of the faiths of a free society into the fabric of our daily lives." In the third column, Terry called on VBA members to assume a renewed sense of responsibility to work together for the common good. He tied all of these themes together in the fourth column, "Fulfilling Our Heritage." He closed with a beautiful tribute to the countless Virginians who make a real difference in society through their steadfast commitment to their families, friends, neighbors, professions, communities, and Commonwealth:

"And, I must add, that all of these contributions which I have repeatedly witnessed are in the very finest and very highest traditions of The Virginia Bar Association and constitute our Association's most enduring legacy. To my mind, a venerable, truly vibrant, and truly lasting legacy.

Having said all of this, how then for me would these thoughts connect with final thoughts of Virginia -- the topography of remembered Virginia? Surely the late autumn mists over the rivers by a bare corn field in King George. The easy roll of the land from Middleburg to Madison and Charlottesville. All of the Valley from Winchester to Lexington, and then on to Wytheville and Abingdon.

The flatness of Southside and Tidewater, the steady rising and ebbing of the James, the York, and the ever poetic Rappahannock and Shennandoah. Also, all of the little places -- Saluda and Kinsale, Bluemont and Ivy, Burgess, Tom's Brook, Christchurch, and Mountville. Port Royal, Paris, and finally, Dahlgren.

This then will be the Virginia I will always think of and remember. Of mountains, monuments, and memory, or promises -- made and fulfilled -- and of hopes and dreams. Of the very best of all that has been, and the even greater best that is surely yet to come."

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Cherish indeed the memory of Terry Ney.

John L. Walker, III