For many decades, Shorty McCrobie was one of the icons of the Rappahannock Record, operating the printing presses and simply knowing how to do everything and where everything was. He and his wife, Beverly, had one son, Winter Harold McCrobie Jr., who was known to all as Winnie. In his own right and in his own different field, he too was an icon, as a gifted musician.
Winnie was born in Kilmarnock and went through local schools, before matriculating at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, one of the preeminent academic music institutions in America. Upon graduation in 1975, he returned to Kilmarnock to marry Lynnie Jackson, and to begin a teaching career that spanned several institutions, culminating in 27 years as the music teacher at Northumberland Middle School.
In that venue, he instructed numerous students in the rudiments of musical education, in most cases giving them their first training in the field of music. He was a patient man, as well as a generous giver, not only to his students, but to the community, performing with several instruments, as well as singing and choir directing.
Winnie was a gentle person, but one given to boundless energy. When he retired from teaching, I asked him what his plans were for the future. To my surprise, he said that he wanted to work on painting houses, and thus he did, but that new career never overshadowed or interfered with his dedication to music.
Both while teaching and in his “retirement” Winnie could be found in diverse public venues, playing different instruments in groups, singing in and directing the choir at Kilmarnock Baptist Church and performing in a variety of public occasions. Faith in God’s Providence, his family and his music were the three cornerstones of Winnie’s life—he excelled in each of them.
Winter Harold “Winnie” McCrobie Jr., January 28, 1953 – September 13, 2025. R.I.P.
*****
In the modern history of the lower Northern Neck the single greatest institutional change that has occurred has been the founding of Rappahannock General Hospital in 1977. Fred Baensch was the guiding light in the hospital’s establishment and its president until his retirement in 1994.
Throughout those years, in addition to the wise leadership he provided, his wife, Judy, served as one of the many volunteers who enhanced the hospital’s ability to carry on its mission of safeguarding the health of the community. Judy was an exuberant person, naturally given to uplifting the aura of any setting in which she found herself. She was an ideal individual to offer encouragement and hope to patients and families experiencing the hospital’s services.
Judy’s energy was boundless and always directed towards making others see the world in the same bright prism that she did. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she adopted the Northern Neck as her own and her contributions and involvements in what was happening in our midst were extensive.
One of her most memorable scenes in that regard was her 2020 cameo appearance in the video, “Virginia’s Working Waterfronts,” in which she spoke of how much she appreciated what the working watermen do for our community and how much she enjoyed living in their midst.
She also was inspired to know the Northern Neck from above as Fred was a licensed pilot, who took her with him on short hops up and down “our moated Eden.” Frequently on weekends, she and Fred would take Betty and Wayne Abbott on jaunts across the bay to have dinner on the Eastern Shore. Judy viewed such an excursion as being somewhat routine, virtually the same as going to the grocery store.
Fred died in 2015 at the age of 79, leaving Judy to carry on serving the community and living happily every day of her life. She might have come from the Midwest, but she became a genuine Virginia Lady.
Judith Jane “Judy” Wagner Baensch, April 24, 1937 – November 12, 2025. R.I.P.
