The Honorable John Patrick "Pat" Graybeal

CARY, NC: John Patrick "Pat" Graybeal, age 91, a Navy veteran, former Judge, and author; passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2024. Born on March 17, 1932 in Emory, Virginia; he was the son of the late Henry Clay Graybeal and June McConnell Graybeal.

Pat graduated from Radford High School and then went on to attain a BS in Public School Music from the University of Richmond in Virginia. He served in the US Navy, active duty June 1952 – September 1956; including service in Vietnam and Korea, and then in the Naval Reserve, retiring a Lieutenant Commander after a total of 21 years of honorable service.

On July 18, 1953 in Akron, Ohio, Pat married Jill Lobach. They had two daughters, Sally and Nancy. Sally preceded him in death in 2007.

Pat began his career in Law by earning a Juris Doctor degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. He practiced privately in Christiansburg, VA from 1959 until 1964, when he became the Commonwealth’s prosecuting attorney for Montgomery County, VA through 1989. In 1989, Pat was a Judge for the 27th Judicial District, Juvenile and Domestic Relations (1989-1997); Chief Judge (1993-1997); visiting Judge in Virginia (1997-2007) until his retirement.

Throughout his career, Pat has had numerous professional memberships. He was President of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth Attorneys (VACA), 14 years of service on the Board of Directors for VACA, Chairman of VACA Services and Training Council, President of the Montgomery-Floyd-Radford Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the 27th Judicial District Bar Association, the Judicial Liaison Committee, the District Court System Appeals Panel, the Executive Committee of the Association of District Relations Court Judges Association and attended conferences of the National Council of Family Court Judges and for judges of Virginia District Courts. During this time he also gave numerous professional presentations: Representing the National College of District Attorneys, presenter on the subject of trail tactics in Philadelphia, New Orleans, Puerto Rico and Camp Lejeune, NC; guest lecturer for classes in criminal justice at Virginia Tech University and Radford University; and was a resource panelist at annual conference for judges of Virginia District Courts.

Along with his professional contributions, Pat was very active within civic organizations as well. He was Past President of the Christiansburg-Blacksburg Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow, a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia, including the church board and 23 years in the choir, Board of Directors for the First Virginia Bank of the Southwest, Radford University Foundation, an Elder, Stephen Minister and Sunday School teacher at First Presbyterian Church, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and a board member of the Club Course Property Owners Association. His civic volunteer activities included fund-raising for the American Cancer Society and local public television, Attorney for Low Country Legal Aid, volunteer for the Family Circle tennis tournament, the Heritage Classic Foundation PGA golf tournament, and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition. He also gave presentations as a speaker for high school graduations and baccalaureate ceremonies, a speaker for meetings of chambers of commerce, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, and organizations of firefighters, rescue squads, and other groups, a speaker for Radford University awards banquets and was an inspirational speaker for Handicap Awareness Week in Radford.

Pat’s story of survival and perseverance was detailed within JUSTICE AND LUCK: A Memoir [by Pat Graybeal (Author), Alex Cruden (Editor)]. As reviewed: "Pat Graybeal stands out not in the ways that celebrities or other high-profile people do, though he has been the object of front-page news and the target of a killer. Instead, Pat is a person brightened by hope, tempered by reality, and proceeding in faith and service. He seriously uncovers what's worth laughing about. Appreciating complexities, he gets to the point. He gives full vibrancy to the concepts of "good" and "polite" and "modest." He's interested in what tune you're dancing to while believing in the harmony within himself."

Pat is survived by his wife of seventy years Jill; his daughter, Nancy Graybeal and husband William McNeil; son-in-law: Christopher K. Minnigh (Julia); and other extended family and friends. They will remember him for his quiet dignity, faith, humility and kindness. He was a true gentleman and respected every person he met. He was a world traveler, a great reader, and a remarkable person - he never met a stranger.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 10 am at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Christiansburg, Virginia, with refreshments following in the fellowship hall.

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