In Memoriam: Honoring Three Dedicated VMN Volunteers
Director’s Note: I am sorry to share the sad news of the recent passing of three VMN volunteers. Each of these dedicated individuals had oversized impacts on their chapters and communities. Thank you to all three chapters for submitting these “in memoriam” pieces. I hope readers are inspired by the volunteerism and lasting impacts of Ruth, Jeff, and Marcia.
Table of Contents
- In Memoriam: Ruth Douglas, VMN Program Pioneer
- In Memoriam: Jeff Hoeppner, Devoted Natural Resource Steward
- In Memoriam: Marcia Murphy, Educator and Native Plant Steward
In Memoriam: Ruth Douglas, VMN Program Pioneer
By Karen L. Mulder, VMN Rivanna Chapter
When Ruth Douglas landed in Charlottesville after international stints in Central America and Japan, owing to a ‘chance’ meeting with a Piedmont Virginia Community College college dean in Florida, the Rivanna VMN chapter did not exist.
By 2005, a hardy group including VMN director Michelle Prysby and Ivy Creek Director Dede Smith pulled its formidable talents together to create one of Virginia’s first master naturalist chapters. In 2006, this hardworking cadre, including Ruth, established the foundation for the vibrant chapter we know and love today. Returning from a Nature Conservancy project in Idaho, Ruth learned of her surprise, unanimous nomination as chair of the curriculum committee—still the most intense task of our year. But she was uniquely qualified for the job.
Like everyone in the inaugural class, Ruth helped build and run the class while becoming certified. As she recalled, after the first class, “We were so enthused that we… did another in the Spring. Halfway through that one, we were all saying, ‘What were we thinking?’ [This is a classic Ruth line.]
Ruth contributed to the Curriculum Committee until 2023. She moved right along with huge changes from analog to digital programming and continued to mentor field trip guides and trainees. Ruth led scores of trainees and avid RMNs through ephemeral blue bells, trout lily, Dutchman’s breeches, and cut leaf toothwort (vernacularly known as ‘crow’s toes’, Ruth reminded us). She also served steadfastly for years as co-chair of the Invasive Species Education Committee, board member for Virginia’s Native Plant Society, VNPS’ Invasive Plant Educator, and a Blue Ridge PRISM educator. Ruth said her friendships from this work remained her deepest joy. Not given to overstating anything, ever, she gave PRISM’s Rod Walker high compliments for his “great way” of “getting people to pay attention—especially the non-tree-huggers.”
We can thank Ruth’s mother, during her upbringing in northern New Jersey, for her affinity for wildflowers and native plants. Many nicknames for ephemerals that Ruth loved sharing come from these childhood treks. Those experiences also inspired her to major in Biology at Saint Lawrence University (NY) at a time when the sciences did not present the easiest professional path for women, and focus on Zoology in grad school at Syracuse University.
After a research lab position at Stanford University’s Medical School, Ruth realized that she preferred working with people more than petri cultures, and moved towards her life’s calling in the community college network. A job in the hard-pressed heart of coal country drew her into the Peace Corps in 1968, which took her to Trinidad and Belize. She returned to Washington DC in the midst of protests against Vietnam and race riots. She eventually earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration, and worked internationally for a network of military colleges. In Charlottesville, Ruth planted her roots in the Key West neighborhood, where she helped whip the trails into shape. She attended the Unitarian Universalist Church and continued international explorations, making multiple visits to observe wildlife, birds and flora in Australia, Panama, and Canada, and taking road trips with her partner, Phil—right up to her last minute on earth.
As for her legacy, Ruth always said she was not overly concerned about how she might be remembered. She was a practical, sturdy, no fuss kind of woman. She maintained that she was never the kind who required a big party to feel like she had done a good job in life. But we will always remember Ruth as a rock. Anyone who knew her will inevitably miss her grounding influence.
Testimonials of Ruth’s Legacy
Ruth was a pioneer in the promotion of native plants, a trailblazer in the crusade against invasive plants, an accomplished biologist and naturalist, and a truly fine person to spend time with…She had many more woods to explore
— Carol Heiser, past RMN advisor 2018-19, DWR Education Coordinator
Ruth was the reason I became a Master Naturalist. On a Habitat Hike, she identified every wildflower and I was hooked.
–Barb Wallace, RMN 2012
Ruth was my mentor, my champion, and my friend. Ruth was one of a kind– highly intelligent, brave, and a free spirit! I’m so grateful to have known her, and will miss her very much. I will miss her so much.
–Rowena Zimmerman, PRISM, RMN 2024
It’s a massive loss for me. I treasured all the time I had outdoors with her and she taught me a lot, not just about nature but about living.
–John Holden, RMN 2009
What a shock! And what a wonderful, delightful person! She was a core part of the PRISM from its very beginning. I will really miss her!!
–Rod Walker, PRISM, RMN 2018
Who would you expect to be down on her knees in the gravel parking lot 15 minutes early for a RMN wildflower walk northward on the Rivanna River on the Key West trail?… Never worked with an Herbarium? No problem, Ruth taught us. We will miss her unflinching devotion to the natural world and all the times she took us for a ride.
–JoAnn Dalley, RMN 2013
In Memoriam: Jeff Hoeppner, Devoted Natural Resource Steward
By Regina Prunty, VMN and Chapter President, Roanoke Valley Chapter
Jeff Hoeppner was a devoted member of the Roanoke Valley Chapter. He will be sorely missed by our chapter with his passing on June 17, 2026.
Jeff was instrumental in getting our chapter’s vernal pool monitoring up and going along with Mary Dolan and Denise Alexander. They spent many hours scouting local public lands for vernal pools and training chapter members. He was also a big force with the start of our invasive plant removal team. Regardless of the weather, Jeff was an eager participant in our invasive plant removal workdays. In addition, he was a devoted steward of Bottom Creek Gorge assisting with trail maintenance and other work there. There was never a Garst Mill Park Native Plant Garden workday and park cleanup day without Jeff there to volunteer. Jeff was also a ridge runner for McAfee Knob. He was always willing to help however he could and loved being out in nature.
Jeff took our training class in 2022 and became a very active member with us. By the time his class ended, he had enough hours for initial certification as a Virginia Master Naturalist. The next year in 2023, his wife, Norma, joined our training class. She commented that she was joining to be able to see her husband since he was out volunteering. He was so active that he had recorded almost 1000 volunteer hours by the end of 2025. Being a Virginia Master Naturalist meant the world to Jeff, and he meant the world to us. We were so fortunate to have him as a devoted member of our chapter and a friend.
In Memoriam: Marcia Murphy, Educator and Native Plant Steward
By Barbara Walker, VMN New River Valley Chapter
Marcia Murphy, member of the NRV Chapter of Master Naturalists, passed away suddenly in late June. Marcia was a graduate of the class of 2015. She remained active in the organization until her death, accumulating over 1000 hours of volunteer service. While much of Marcia’s volunteering was associated with the Pandapas Pond Pollinator Habitat, she also was involved in many other activities including bluebird trail monitoring, Hokie Bugfest and Chestnut Restoration.
Marcia was an avid hiker and gardener, but it was her love of native plants that drew her to get involved with the Pandapas Pollinator Garden. Her time and commitment to that project was vital to the garden’s growth and continued success. Not only did she put in lots of hours weeding, planting, mulching and mowing, she designed gardens, organized volunteer activities, and did educational outreach. Any visitor to the garden while Marcia was there might be informed of the importance of native plants and invited to join in pulling weeds. The other garden volunteers nicknamed her “The Energizer Bunny”.
Her influence on others went well beyond the Master Naturalist organization. She was a teacher for over 30 years, instilling curiosity and a love of nature in hundreds of students. After retiring from the public school system, she spent four years in South Africa as a Peace Corps member. Upon her return to Blacksburg, she continued to be an active volunteer—with Master Naturalists, Habitat for Humanity Restore, the Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry and as caretaker of many of the flower gardens at Christ Episcopal Church. Everyone who knew her will miss Marcia’s kind spirit, generosity with her time, and love of nature.