The Honorable ELEANOR SPENCE DOBSON (Ret.) (Age 86) Of Marshall, Virginia on September 18, 2013. She is survived by her children, David (Cindy) Smythe of Nashville, Tennessee, Donald (Lisa) Smythe of Birmingham, Alabama, Anne (Charlie) Patullo of Manassas, Virginia and William James (Meaghan) Dobson, III of Alexandria, Virginia; and by her sister, Janet Spence of Arlington, Virginia. Preceded in death by her loving husband of 47 years, William James Dobson, Jr., Colonel, USAF, (Ret.) Born in New York, she moved to Arlington, Virginia and in 1944 graduated from Washington & Lee High School. She was a 1948 graduate of Mt. Holyoke College and in 1949 married her high school sweetheart, George Winfred Smythe, Jr., a 1949 graduate of West Point and a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. She and George had two sons. George Smythe was a jet pilot for the USAF and later became a test pilot. In April 1958, he was killed in an F-100D fighter jet accident at Eglin AFB, Florida. She later married William James Dobson, Jr., a USAF Communications officer and had a daughter and another son. While living in Seaford, Virginia, she attended William & Mary Law School and received her J.D. in 1974. She returned to Arlington and joined Ed Holland in the practice of law. In 1982, she was appointed a General District Judge, becoming the first female judge in the history of Arlington County, Virginia. She later became the Chief Judge of the General District Courts and retired from the Bench in 1997. She and her husband later built their dream home in Marshall, Virginia, where they entertained family and friends for many wonderful years until her husband's passing in 2011. While she overcame great adversity at various times in her life, she remained a strong and loving person, who will be dearly missed by her family and many friends. The family will receive friends on Sunday, September 22, 2013 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Baker-Post Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 10001 Nokesville Road, Manassas. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, September 23, 2013 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 9325 West Street, Manassas, with The Rev. Vinnie Van Lainson officiating. Graveside and interment services will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may take the form of a donation to the Alzheimer's Association , National Capital Area Chapter, 3701 Pender Drive, Suite 400, Fairfax, VA 22030. Please sign the guestbook at: www.bakerpostfh.com.

Published in The Washington Post on September 21, 2013