William (Bill) Howard Medhurst, Jr., age 70, of Chesapeake, VA, died on February 12, 2018 after a long illness. Friends and family will gather to celebrate his life at 11 am on Saturday, February 17 at Harvest Assembly of God with family greeting at 10am.

Second born to William Howard Medhurst, Sr. and Patricia Medhurst on October 31, 1947 in Aurora, OH, Bill grew up surrounded by a large family. He was preceded in death by his brothers David and Gary Medhurst, his mother Patricia Medhurst, and sisters Patty Fedor and Mickey Medhurst.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 45 years Martha Medhurst; three loving daughters, Jessica Medhurst, Amanda (Jordan) May, and Kalle (Todd) Culotta; father William Medhurst, Sr.; siblings, Kathy (Mark), Tom (Fran), Bob (Carol), Terry (Terry), Jimmy, Johnny (Scharlotte), Danny, Sue, and Ann; and a host of nieces, nephews, and extended family.

As a young man in the 1960’s, Bill heard the audible voice of God and began a relationship with Jesus. This friendship became the purpose and passion of his life. Soon after, he helped start a Bible study where he met a beautiful girl with a heart for Christ and the voice of an angel--Martha Philips. They married in 1972, he finished his degree in Criminal Justice from Kent State University, and they started a family. He led a youth group for several years, began working in construction, and later moved the family to a farm in Pennsylvania where he also became a skilled carpenter.

In 1985, Bill moved the family to Chesapeake, VA, so he could attend Regent University to pursue an MBA. While he eventually realized an office job was not for him, he and Martha loved the area and decided to stay. Bill was an avid fisherman and could be found most weekends happily perched at the helm of a boat with a rod in hand.

For the next 30 years, Bill worked as a brick mason, foreman, and General Superintendent for several local masonry companies and was active in the union apprenticeship program. At the same time, his passion for Christ never waned. He remained active in his church and committed to helping others, whether by ministering to inmates through prison ministries, lending a hand and construction know-how to a friend in need, helping to build The Refuge for the church youth group, spreading the gospel through missions’ trips to Ecuador and Uruguay, or regularly giving money secretly to those in need. He walked in such peace and authority everywhere he went and in everything he did that he was often the first person to be sought in a crisis.
He leaves a legacy of fervent faith and a life well lived in service to his Lord and Savior. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s honor to either Operation Blessing https://www.ob.org/ or ’Orphans Promise http://www.orphanspromise.org/.