Julie Thayer Vehr, a dedicated conservationist and one of the first Middleburg area residents to place her farm in conservation easement in the mid-1980s, died on June 22 at the age of 91.
Mrs. Vehr, also known as "Dody" since childhood, was a talented artist and an avid equestrian as a member of the Piedmont Hunt in Upperville. A beloved daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, she lived at Fiddlers Green Farm in Unison for almost 60 years.
She was born April 3, 1928 in Haverford, Pennsylvania, where she also grew up. Her mother, Lois Cassatt Thayer, was a niece of famed impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Her father, John Borland Thayer, survived the sinking of the Titanic when he was 17 years old.
Mrs. Vehr attended the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1950. While at Penn, she practiced the art of fencing and pursued the sport for a number of years.
In 1952, she married the late C. Oliver (Ollie) Iselin III. After living in Georgetown for several years, they were stationed abroad for 12 years in government service until 1970 when they returned to their farm, Fiddlers Green, in Unison. She and Mr. Iselin were divorced in 1977.
She married George Vehr in 1983, and he predeceased her in 2007.
Mrs. Vehr was an early member and a chair of the Goose Creek Association, a conservation organization in the Middleburg area. She also was one of the founders of the Beaver Dam Creek Historic Roadways District in Loudoun County, which focused on preserving rural roads.
An animal lover, a gardener, an avid reader, and conservationist, she also enjoyed traveling, participating in riding trips abroad with friends. She spent summers with her family in Hulls Cove in Maine, where, in her youth, she had been a sailing enthusiast. She also was a member of the Middleburg Tennis Club.
Mrs. Vehr was a long-time member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg, where she served on the Vestry and Altar Guild and was a frequent volunteer at the church's annual rummage sale and Christmas Shop.
Mrs. Vehr is survived by her daughter, Julie Diehl of Middleburg, a sister, Pauline Maguire of Shoreham, Vermont, two grandsons, Daniel Malone of Middleburg and Malcolm Malone of Denver, Colorado, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life ceremony will be scheduled for later in the fall.

Julie Thayer Vehr, a dedicated conservationist and one of the first Middleburg area residents to place her farm in conservation easement in the mid-1980s, died on June 22 at the age of 91.
Mrs. Vehr, also known as "Dody" since childhood, was a talented artist and an avid equestrian as a member of the Piedmont Hunt in Upperville. A beloved daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, she lived at Fiddlers Green Farm in Unison for almost 60 years.
She was born April 3, 1928 in Haverford, Pennsylvania, where she also grew up. Her mother, Lois Cassatt Thayer, was a niece of famed impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Her father, John Borland Thayer, survived the sinking of the Titanic when he was 17 years old.
Mrs. Vehr attended the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1950. While at Penn, she practiced the art of fencing and pursued the sport for a number of years.
In 1952, she married the late C. Oliver (Ollie) Iselin III. After living in Georgetown for several years, they were stationed abroad for 12 years in government service until 1970 when they returned to their farm, Fiddlers Green, in Unison. She and Mr. Iselin were divorced in 1977.
She married George Vehr in 1983, and he predeceased her in 2007.
Mrs. Vehr was an early member and a chair of the Goose Creek Association, a conservation organization in the Middleburg area. She also was one of the founders of the Beaver Dam Creek Historic Roadways District in Loudoun County, which focused on preserving rural roads.
An animal lover, a gardener, an avid reader, and conservationist, she also enjoyed traveling, participating in riding trips abroad with friends. She spent summers with her family in Hulls Cove in Maine, where, in her youth, she had been a sailing enthusiast. She also was a member of the Middleburg Tennis Club.
Mrs. Vehr was a long-time member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg, where she served on the Vestry and Altar Guild and was a frequent volunteer at the church's annual rummage sale and Christmas Shop.
Mrs. Vehr is survived by her daughter, Julie Diehl of Middleburg, a sister, Pauline Maguire of Shoreham, Vermont, two grandsons, Daniel Malone of Middleburg and Malcolm Malone of Denver, Colorado, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life ceremony will be scheduled for later in the fall.