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HomeOpinionExcerpts by Henry Lane Hull

Excerpts by Henry Lane Hull

Tony Waring was a man of extraordinary ability and equally extraordinary modesty. He was born in New York City, where his father, Mowton LeCompte Waring Sr., was an executive with Consolidated Edison, and like his father had before him, Tony matriculated at Virginia Military Institute, after which he began a distinguished career in the U.S. Army.

We had been friends for over 30 years when in a casual conversation he mentioned that he had received the Silver Star for his service during the Vietnam War. That remark was typical of Tony; he never spoke of his accomplishments and always was eager to learn of the successes of others. The Silver Star, as impressive as it is, was only one of his military decorations. He understood service and he excelled in carrying out his assigned duties.

In retirement, his parents had moved to Weems, where they built an architect-designed home on Carter Creek. Tony’s father was a gifted woodworker, who specialized in making exquisite Chippendale-style furniture from scratch. His pieces were crafted with such skill and finished with a patina that totally replicated the methods used by 18th-century cabinet makers.

After his parents’ passings, Tony and his wife, Connie, moved to their house in Weems, where they began participating in numerous community activities. Tony was the consummate reader, specializing in all forms of history. He read constantly, and he could remember all that he learned. Any conversation with him contained references to what he had been reading and most importantly what he had obtained from it.

The community groups to which he belonged recognized his enthusiasm for good dialog and readily asked him to serve as program chairman. He always shone in such an arena, giving introductions that were humorous and prescient to the topic. When Tony asked someone to speak to a group, he came to the scene prepared, having boned up on the subject in order to introduce the speaker and to field the questions that would follow.

Despite the great challenges he had faced in combat, Tony remained an easygoing person, one who could face tests with calmness and equanimity, which undoubtedly contributed to his ability to master difficult situations with aplomb and serenity. In her last years, Connie sustained serous health concerns, during which Tony served as her constant companion and advocate until her passing in 2014.

Their marriage was a 57-year union of a devout Episcopalian, Tony, and an equally devout Catholic, Connie. She was also a committed volunteer, one who, with Tony, raised their four children in military locales across the world. After moving to the Northern Neck, she continued her volunteering, particularly at the Lancaster Community Library, where she found her greatest delight in working on the Bookmobile, reading to children, an experience for which she was qualified abundantly.

In their final years together, on Sundays Tony would take Connie to her church and then go to his, returning to get her when both services were completed. Tony’s care for Connie was an inspiring example of his expertise in military efficiency and genuine marital fidelity.

As his own health concerns developed, Tony sold his family home and moved to Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury where he died earlier this month at the age of 90. Despite his own failing health and mounting years, Tony never became “an old person.”  In his attitude toward life, he defied the aging process, always looking ahead, grateful for life’s blessings and planning for the future.

In his military career, which lasted for 30 years, he had been a true hero, but in his personal life, modesty and gentility outshone heroism. He saw duty as an obligation and an opportunity to serve his country, thereby doing his part to make the world a more humane place, and he did it all in a spirit of peace and hope.

Colonel Mowton LeCompte Waring Jr., U.S.A., Ret., October 1, 1924–July 6, 2025. R.I.P.

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