Lot 48
You never know what you might encounter in the cemetery. It is not uncommon to come upon rabbits, feral cats, ducks and other water fowl. Unlike my neighborhood in Wythe, no one has spotted a raccoon, an opossum, a fox, a deer or a coyote—yet. You may not be aware that there are 5 Hills, 2 Forrests and 60 Woods in the cemetery. While there are no rivers, ponds, harbors, streams, or marshes, there are 2 Pooles and 15 Lakes. The Lake family is buried in lot 48—in the heart of the cemetery (“inside the circle”). Rear Admiral Julian Strong Lake III is the most recent member of his family to be interred.
Although he was born in South Boston, Julian Lake grew up in Newport News and Paces, Va. Lake attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute but, like many young men of his generation, World War II interrupted his studies. Lake joined the Navy in 1942, attended flight school, and was soon flying combat missions in the Pacific theater of war. (Eventually, Lake completed his undergraduate degree at the George Washington University in 1967.)
In fact, Julian Lake flew combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Over the course of his 34 years of active duty, Lake logged 7,780 hours of flight time in 69 different models of aircraft. He landed on aircraft carriers 751 times. Lake earned 3 Air Medals, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the Bronze Star before retiring as a Rear Admiral in 1976. Perhaps Lake’s greatest contribution was in the area of electronic warfare, in which he was considered to be an expert.
At the time of his death, he was survived by 3 children and 7 grandchildren.
Originally published in St. John’s Newsletter, June 2022.