Paul Aretus Fleming

He was retired under the Virginia Retirement System after thirty-one years of service in the public school system. He had been a classroom teacher and Assistant Principal at Waterman Elementary School in Harrisonburg in the early 1960’s and relocated to Hampton in 1965 to become Principal of the former Fort Monroe Elementary School. When that school closed in 1979, he was transferred to be Principal of Robert E. Lee Elementary School where he worked until retirement in 1991.

Paul was born and grew up in Pendleton County West Virginia and was the son of the late Marvin A. Fleming and Willia Gladys Rexrode Fleming. He graduated from Shepherd College (now Shepherd University) at Shepherdstown, West Virginia in 1956, and received a Master’s Degree at Madison College (now JMU) in 1963. As a part-time student he later did post graduate work and earned academic credit at Longwood College, the College of William and Mary, and Old Dominion University.

In his younger years he had worked at the Chevrolet-Fisher Body Factory and Sparrow’s Point Shipyard, both in Baltimore. He was Honorably Discharged from the US Army in April 1960. He spent most of a two year tour of duty in the Third Infantry Honor Guard at Fort Meyer, Virginia where he served as a Cordon Soldier and Records Clerk.

He was a former member of the Hampton Moose Lodge and was a life member of the Hampton Elk Lodge No. 366.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in rest by his sister, Clara Fleming Kline and her husband, Waldo Eugene.

Surviving family members include his daughter, Cynthia Ann Fleming of Newport News; his son, William A Fleming of Hampton; two grandsons, Bryan Robert Fleming and Daniel Scott Fleming. He also leaves many extended family members including “dozens of cousins”.

In accordance with Paul’s last wishes, there will be no public funeral services.