Charles Irvine “Sonny” Cather Jr., 88, of Winchester, died July 3, 2022, at his home.

Mr. Cather was born Sept. 3, 1933, in Winchester, son of Charles Irvine Cather Sr. and Sara Belle Shirkey Cather. He grew up on his family’s apple orchard in Frederick County and graduated in 1952 from Handley High School, where he played football and ran track.  He was a 1956 graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, receiving a degree in business administration and serving in the cadet corps while working numerous jobs including managing the faculty dining hall, recording VPI’s “Farm and Home Hour” and selling toasted cheese sandwiches to other cadets from his dorm room – a venture that ended abruptly when he tossed the grill out the window to avoid getting in trouble with the commandant who was headed down the hall to see what was cooking. His summers were spent lifeguarding at Virginia Beach and waiting tables at The Cavalier. After graduating from VPI he served three years in the Air Force, attaining the rank of captain. Professionally he was employed with Potomac Edison for 36 1/2 years, most of which was spent in the Winchester area as the southern division manager.

His civic and business affiliations were numerous and included past president of the Winchester Rotary Club, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow; past president, Shenandoah Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and recipient of the council’s Silver Beaver Award for distinguished service; past chairman, local American Red Cross; past vice president, Winchester Parking Authority; a past director of the local and state chambers of commerce; past president of the Shenandoah Valley Manufacturer’s Association; past director and vice president of the Winchester-Frederick County Industrial Development Authority; Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival volunteer; a former bank director, and past president of the Cather Family Reunion. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Winchester, where he had been a deacon and elder.

He married the former Patricia Jane Shelburne on March 29, 1957, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Surviving with his wife of 65 years are a son, Charles Shelburne Cather (Angila) of Pensacola, Florida, and a daughter, Cynthia Cather Burton (Jim) of Winchester; four grandchildren, Charles Shelburne Cather II and Elizabeth Joyce Cather of Pensacola and Catherine Cather Burton and James Gordon Burton III of Winchester; sister, Judith Cather Keeling of Virginia Beach, a niece and several nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Barbara Adams Cather, who died from leukemia in 1972; sister, Elizabeth Cather Moses; brother-in-law, John F. Keeling Jr.; nephews James Carter Moses Jr. and Scott Cather Keeling, and cousin Retha Athey Shirkey.

He will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather who enjoyed tending his backyard vegetable garden, family gatherings at Capon Lake and rooting for the Hokies. In his youth he was a soapbox derby racer who advanced to the national championship in Akron, Ohio. A highlight of the event was being selected to appear in a promotional film about the race with actor Jimmy Stewart.

A private graveside will be held Monday, July 11, 2022 in Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester. A memorial service will be held at a later date at First Presbyterian Church.

Memorials may be made to Blue Ridge Hospice, which enabled Mr. Cather to pass away peacefully at home surrounded by family, or to First Presbyterian Church.