6402     ORLIN LEWIS OATMAN, JR.

 

 

6402    ORLIN LEWIS, Jr.,9     Orlin Lewis8 Orlin E.7, Isaac H.6, Elisha5, Isaac4, George3, John2, Johannes1), son of Orlin Lewis and Aimée Louise  (Armstrong) Oatman, was born 8 April 1924 in Mt. Vernon, New York.  Pat was married on 26 October 1946 to Mildred Lorraine Coleman of Mechanicsville, Virginia; she was born 4 November 1925.  As of 1 May 2006, they were residing in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

 

Pat graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in Elmsford, New York, in 1942, and was president of his class and salutatorian.  He entered the service in 1943 serving in World War II as a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilot.  He flew 52 missions in combat and was honorably discharged in 1945.  Pat was employed by the Home Beneficial Life Insurance Company in Richmond, Virginia, in November of 1947 and was continually one of the leading agents for this company until his retirement in September 1985 at age 60.

 

After retiring, Pat spent time fishing, visiting the sick, hunting with his rabbit dogs, and enjoying his grandchildren.  He also spent time as a landscape salesman at his daughter’s nursery and garden center, along with leading the opening exercises for his Sunday School class at Walnut Grove Baptist Church.  He was well known for his homemade applesauce and vegetable soup, which he delivered to people who were sick or in need, along with freshly caught fish, which he often scaled and filleted before he delivered it.  A very patriotic gentleman and member of the VFW and American Legion, he respected the American flag and was often seen wearing red, white and blue.  A little harmonica concert may be in order in his later days, whereas the trumpet was his instrument of choice when he was younger.

 

Mildred was raised in Hanover County and graduated valedictorian of her class at Battlefield Park School, where she also played softball.  She was a member of Gethsemane Church of Christ.  She was working at the Life Insurance Company of Virginia when she met Pat.  Her parents were Thomas Eugene Coleman and Jennie Irving Crow of Hanover County.

 

 

Children of Orlin Lewis and Mildred (Coleman) Oatman:

 

8300    Aimée Jeanne, b. Feb 1948, Richmond, VA; m. William Thomas West, Jr., May 1969, Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, VA.  He was b. Feb 1949, Richmond, VA, son of William Thomas West, Sr. [b. 21 May 1922] and Catherine Jones [b. 4 Oct 1921, d. 21 Sep 1991].  Reside in Mechanicsville, VA.

 

Aimee attended Washington Henry Elementary School where she was May Queen in the 7th grade; graduated Lee-Davis High School 1966 and was a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, and cheerleading squad.  Earned an Associate Degree in secretarial sciences from Chowan College in Murfreesboro, NC, in 1968 where she met her husband Tommy.  Tommy was drafted into the US Marine Corps immediately after their marriage, serving two years, during which Jenny was born.  After the service, he completed his college education at VPI&SU (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg in 1974, receiving the Outstanding Senior Award in Virginia Tech’s Horticulture Club.  They began the West Nursery and Garden Center in 1974 where Tommy did all the greenhouse growing and Aimée did the bookkeeping, sales, advertising, etc.  In 1983 Aimée was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis; she continued to work, play the piano at church and eventually the organ for a few years.  In 2005 they built a new modular home for better accessibility.  Children, surname West:

 

                        A         Jennie Elizabeth, b. 1971, Richmond, VA; m. Michael Eric Miller of Mechanicsville, VA, 5 Aug 2005, New Bethesda Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, VA; he was b. 23 Dec 1968, son of John and Amy Miller.  Jennie attended Rural Point Elementary School and Stonewall Jackson Junior High School, graduating from Lee-Davis High School in 1989.  In high school she was a member of the Color Guard in which she twirled the rifle.  She then attended Radford University for two years.  In Dec 1995 she earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, VA.

 

                                    At Radford she joined Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity.  This began her volunteer “career.”  She became certified as an EMT in 1991 and volunteered with both the Ashland and East Hanover Volunteer Rescue Squad before joining the Eastern Hanover Volunteer Fire Department in 1992, serving as both Secretary and Treasurer along with responding to emergency calls.  She also volunteered as the secretary for the Hanover Association of Volunteer Fire Companies for three years, meeting her husband through the fire department.

 

                                    Mike has worked for Richmond City Department of Fire & EMS since 1989.  He is a certified rescue diver, EMT-B, and is pursuing his paramedic certification.  He works for Jennie’s father Tommy on his days off from the fire department as an assistant grower at the nursery.  Jennie has worked as a registered nurse for Richmond Allergy and Asthma Specialists since 1997, promoted to lab supervisor in 2003.  Children, surname Miller:

 

                                                  I         Catherine Rose

 

                                                 II        Amy Louise

 

                        B         Carrie Jeanne, b. 1981, Richmond, VA; m. Aaron Karlysle Galla (he b. 1981, son of Deborah Galla).  Carrie attended Rural Point Elementary School, Chickahominy Middle School and Atlee High School, graduating in 1999.  During her high school years, she was in Color Guard, Show Choir and took dance – ballet, tap, and jazz – at Shuffles Dance Studio.  She also was an assistant teacher of several children’s classes at Shuffles.  She attended Radford University for one year, and has taken courses at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College.  After working as a TSR at First Virginia Bank, she took over her mother’s position at West Nursery & Garden Center as administrative assistant in 2003; also sold Mary Kay cosmetics.  Aaron has worked in construction, delivered newspapers for the Richmond Times Dispatch and also worked in the collections department of a timeshares company.  Carrie is very computer-savvy and enjoys plaing with her two boys.  Aaron likes playing golf, riding motorcycles and working on cars.  Children, surname Galla:

 

                                                  I         Conner Wade

 

                                                 II        Aiden Keith

 

8301    Peggy Ellen, b. May 1951, Richmond, VA; m. Charles Felix Cross III, of Ashland, VA, in Jul 1973, Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, VA;  he was b. Aug 1951, son of Charles Felix Cross, Jr., (b. 29 Jan 1922, d. 30 Apr 1997) and Ann Carolyn Brooks (b. 20 Jun 1926, d. 24 May 1986).  Reside Ashland, VA.

 

Peggy graduated from Lee-Davis High School in 1968 where she was president of the Beta Club, member of National Honor Society and French Club and valedictorian of her class.  She also played on the Varsity basketball and softball teams.  She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1972 with a BA in Mathematics.  While at W&M she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and the Baptist Student Union.  After graduation, she taught math at Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Mechanicsville from 1972 until 1978.  Felix graduated from University of Virginia where he was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the honorary business fraternity.  He graduated first in his class from the T. C. William School of Law in Richmond in 1975; worked for the firm of Wells, Axselle, Hundley and Johnson in Richmond (now ParisBlank) and together he and Peggy managed the Best Western Hanover House for over 25 years.  They are currently involved in real estate development. 

 

For many years Peggy and Felix enjoyed traveling to watch their daughter Emma perform gymnastics and their son Toler basketball.  Now Peggy enjoys traveling, gardening and reading travel/history magazines and books.  Felix enjoys working in the yard and serves on many committees at their church, Shady Grove United Methodist.  Children, surname Cross:

 

                        A         Toler Felix, b. 1979, Richmond, VA; m. Kristin Elizabeth Weller, 2006, Shady Grove United Methodist Church, Mechanicsville, VA; they reside at Glenn Allen, VA (2006).  Kristin was b. 1977, dau of Robert T. Weller III (b.  1949) and Deborah Vetter (b. 1951).  Toler graduated 9th in his class from Atlee High School in 1997, where he was a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, an Hanover Scholar, and Richmond Times-Dispatch Scholar Athlete.  He was captain of the Varity basketball team, and he shared the school record for the most (3-pointers) made in a single game. 

 

                                    At Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, he continued with basketball, along with membership of Mortar Board and Phi Beta Kappa, graduating summa cum laude with a BS in Finance.  He was named All-Academic at the college and inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the honorary business fraternity.  He received his Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he maintained a perfect 4.0 average and was one of only eleven Dean’s Scholars.  Toler is employed by Union Bankshares.

 

                                    Kristin is a graduate of Cazenovia High School and graduated with a BS from Elmira College and an MS in Speech Language Pathology from Northeastern University.  She is employed as a Speech Language Pathologist. 

 

                        B         Emmalee Camille, b. 1983, Richmond, VA; resides Glen Allen, VA (2006).  Emma attended Elmont Elementary School and Atlee High School, graduating from Atlee in 2001 where she was a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, and the mentoring program, SODA.  She also served as President of the French Club, was a Hanover Scholar and the Richmond Times-Dispatch Scholar Athlete. 

 

                                    Starting gymnastics at the age of seven, she won at the age of 13 the D. O. National Gymnastics Championships, Junior Division, in Florida.  In addition she placed first in many state and regional championships sponsored by the U. S. Gymnastics Federation, including the Buckeye Classic in Ohio.  Was a four-time Cap.Dist. And Central Region VA High School Champion.  While in high school, she was the Virginia High School State Champion her senior year.  At the College of William and Mary she continued her gymnastics career all four years, setting the college’s record for the floor exercise in 2005 with a 9.925 out of 10.  She qualified for the NCAA Regionals on the floor.  In May of 2006 she graduated with honors from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, with a BS in Psychology with a minor in Elementary Education.  She was employed by Hanover County Schools in the spring of 2004; taught the second grade at Pearson’s Corner Elementary from 2005-2006; transferred to second grade at Kersey Creek Elementary School in the spring of 2006.  Emma enjoys vacationing at the beach and spending quality time with friends and family.  She still coaches gymnastics every now and then and is an avid University of Virginia football fan.

 

8302    Terry Elizabeth, b. 1954, Richmond, VA; m. 1975 at Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, VA, to John Elbert Redd, Jr.; he was b. 1950, son of John Elbert Redd, Sr. (b. 8 Aug 1924, d. Jun 2006) and Martha Frances Beck (b. 12 Sep 1931).  Reside in 2006 in Mechanicsville, VA.

 

Terry attended Washington Henry Elementary School where she met her husband-to-be in the 5th grade.  She graduated Lee-Davis High School in 1971 and was a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, majorette (10th grade) and cheerleading (12th grade) squads.  She attended Chowan College for one year and graduated from VCU in 1975 with a BS in Business Education.  Johnny received his accounting degree from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.  Terry taught at Lee-Davis from 1977 to 1979.  Since 1984 she and Johnny have built up their own CPA practice which they currently have in their home.  They attended Walnut Grove Baptist Church until 1990, at which time they changed membership to Mechanicsville Christian Center.  Children, surname Redd:

 

                        A         Robert Branch, b. 1977, Richmond, VA; resides in Fort Collins, CO.  Attended Cold Harbor Elementary, Stonewall Jackson Middle School, and Lee-Davis High School, graduating in 1995, where he was a member of National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Varsity Wrestling Team.  After earning his private pilot’s license, he attended the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co, for two years.  He transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University where he received his BS in Mathematics / Operational Research in 2001.  He moved to Steamboat Springs, CO, in 2003, joining the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, completing a Level II Certification and taught until 2006.  He is currently enrolled in Colorado State University and will pursue a Civil Engineering degree.

 

                        B         Kevin Thomas, b. 1980, Richmond, VA; m.  2006 at Walnut Grove Baptist Church, Mechanicsville, VA, Erin Alisa Heston (b. 1977, South Bend, IN, daughter of Robert James Heston and Christi Anita Maddox).  Reside at Mechanicsville, VA.  Kevin attended Cold Harbor Elementary School, Stonewall Jackson Middle School, and Lee-Davis High School (graduate of 1999), where he was a member of the wrestling team.  He graduated from electrician’s school in May 2006 second in his class.  His wife Erin graduated from North Stafford High School, Stafford, VA, receiving her degrees in criminology and psychology from Radford University, Radfdord, VA, and is an alumni member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority.  She is the daughter of a military Air Force family and has traveled the world, living overseas in Belgium and England.  Children, surname, Redd:

 

                                                  I         Wyatt Thomas

 

8303    Bettie Lewis, b. 26 Mar 1957, Richmond, VA; d. 4 Dec 1979.  Burial in the Gethsemane Church Cemetery in Coleman Family Plot, Hanover Co., VA.  Married Robert Mahlon Young (b. 15 May 1957) of Mechanicsville, VA, 23 Feb 1976; div. 1979.  Bettie grew up in Hanover Co., VA, graduated from Lee-Davis High School in Hanover County in 1975, where she was a mjorette, and also attended Walnut Grove Baptist Church.  Worked in a bookkeeping and clerical position at the time of her death at age 22.  Children, surname Young:

 

                        A         Jacob Lewis, b. 1978, Richmond, VA.  Jacob was 18 months old when his mother died, going to live with his father.  His father remarried and Jacob has a half-brother Hunter.  In Sep 1994 Jacob went to live with his grandparents, Pat and Mildred Oatman.  In 1998 he enrolled as an art student in Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.  Currently (2006) he is night manager at American Family Fitness in Mechanicsville.  He practices the martial arts, specifically jujitsu, which has taken him to Brazil, California and Hawaii.  Currently resides in Mechanicsville, VA.

 

 

 

Sources: Aimée Oatman West, Mechanicsville, VA

 

 

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