James Lewis Trinkle, 66, of Roanoke, died Friday evening, October 13, 1995, while attending his 45th reunion at Hampden-Sydney College in Farmville. He had been President of C. W. Francis and Son, Inc. since 1966. He was born April 2, 1929, to the late Governor of Virginia, E. Lee Trinkle and Helen Ball Sexton Trinkle. He was graduated from Jefferson High School in 1946, Hampden-Sydney College in 1950 and the University of Virginia Law School in 1953. Mr. Trinkle was an Eagle Scout and President of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Hampden-Sydney College and the University of Virginia. He was very active in civic, community and church affairs, including member and President of Downtown Roanoke Inc., and fund-raising campaign director, Chairman and President of United Way of Roanoke Valley. He was a member of the Boards of Directors of the Roanoke Symphony, Roanoke Valley Board of Realtors, Central YMCA, Roanoke Civic Center Project, Junior League Advisory Board, American Cancer Society, Roanoke Historical Society and Colonial American National Bank (Crestar Bank). He was Chairman of Peoples Federal Savings and Loan (Charter Federal), President of the Merchants Association of the Roanoke Valley and President of the Roanoke Fine Arts Center (Art Museum of Western Virginia). Two things which were of special importance to him were Hampden-Sydney College, where he served on the Board of Trustees from 1967 to the present, and the University of Virginia, where he twice was appointed to the Board of Visitors (1982-1990). He took special pride in receiving the Ernest H. Ern Award at UVA in 1989 for his work toward advancing the initiatives, programs and goals of the Student Council to provide more effective teaching by increasing student-professor contact. Surviving are his wife, Muriel King Trinkle; sons, James L. Trinkle Jr., William F. Trinkle, David B. Trinkle M.D.; daughter, Ann Bondurant Trinkle; stepson, Henry Scholz IV; stepdaughters and their husbands, Courtney and Robert Black, Lesia and Steve Wall, Ardis and Mark Merritt; grandchildren, Catie, Clay and Ella Trinkle; stepgrandchildren, Laura and Kehler Black, Mark and Catherine Merritt; brothers and sister-in-law, E. Lee Trinkle Jr., William S. and Virginia Trinkle; sister and brother-in-law, Helen Sue and William Stroud. Also surviving are his former wife, Betty Francis Trinkle Freeman, and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be conducted at Second Presbyterian Church at 12:30 p.m. Monday, October 16, 1995, with the Rev. Dr. William R. Klein officiating. Interment will follow in Evergreen Burial Park. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Oakey's Downtown Chapel. The family suggests that memorials be made to the Trinkle Professorship at Hampden-Sydney College or to the Alumni Association at the University of Virginia.

Roanoke Times, Sunday, October 15, 1995

Son of Elbert Lee Trinkle and Helen Ball Sexton
Husband of Betty Shelor Francis