Herbert Carroll Etheridge died peacefully on November 6, 2016, in Gretna, Virginia after a lengthy illness. He was 85 years old.
Born on January 28, 1931 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Etheridge was the youngest child of Emma and Herbert Etheridge. He was orphaned at age 4 and grew up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with his adoptive parents, Tom and Annie Baum, who built the Orville and Wilbur Wright Hotels, among the first along that stretch of coast.
As a boy, he watched German U-boats sink ships from his bedroom window. Those early experiences led to a lifelong quest for adventure and later, an avid interest in photography.
During his teenage years, he attended Oak Ridge Military Academy near Greensboro, North Carolina.
He was an early enthusiast of scuba diving and searched for hidden treasures off the North Carolina coast, known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for its turbulent tides and abundant shipwrecks.
In the 1950s, he married Helen Lee Heard and started a family in Danville, Virginia. There he was a volunteer member of the Danville Life Saving Crew. His hobbies included fishing, hunting and collecting Native American artifacts. For many years, he worked at Memorial Hospital (now Danville Regional Medical Center). Later he taught at Danville Community College, launching the school's first curriculum in still photography and video production.
His search for scenic beauty and cultural diversity later took him on travels across the country and to the frozen tundra of the Yukon Territory.
Until his retirement in 2005, Etheridge produced films and videos for government, corporations, organizations, colleges and individuals. Etheridge also wrote the book, "Once More the Wind," recounting his journey sailing from Seattle to Alaska in the late 1970s.
He is predeceased by three sisters, Wilma Heilman, Theresa Garrison and Mary Merritt.
He is survived by his four children, Patricia Etheridge, Tom Etheridge, Annie Etheridge and Janet Boddington. There are five grandchildren, Coleman Burke, William Burke, Max Boddington, Micah Plott and Julia Plott.
There will be no public service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations go the Danville Life Saving Crew, http://www.dlsc.org.
Colbert-Moran Funeral Home, Gretna is assisting the family. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.colbertmoran.com.