Steve Lohr passed away this past week. Following are two recollections from Virginia friends/colleagues. Please keep the Lohr/Davis families in your prayers during this difficult time. View his obituary.

I suspect that most, if not all of you, have already heard that the Eastern Region lost someone very special on Tuesday afternoon.  I know that each of you have memories of your time spent with Steve.  For me personally, in addition to being a constant at  Virginia tournaments, teaching me how to be a proper boat judge, and administering my test to become a Regular slalom judge, Steve provided indispensable guidance, support, and encouragement in my roles as Va. Federation President, Va. Councilperson, and EVP.  For these things and many others, I will always be grateful for my time spent with him and appreciate all that he did for the greater water ski community.   

I’m sure the Lohr/Davis family would appreciate hearing about your memories, many of which you’ve already shared on Facebook.  If you’d like to express your condolences and share your memories in person, the arrangements are as follows:

Visitation: Sunday, April 21, between 6-8pm, at Storke Funeral Home, 111 S. Main St, Bowling Green VA 22427; funeral services: Monday, April 22, at 11am, Salem Baptist Church, 24032 Sparta Road, Milford, VA 22514.

Warm regards,
Karen Melnik

Dear Virginia water ski friends,

I am deeply saddened to learn that Steve Lohr passed away on Wednesday of this week. For 50+ years, Steve demonstrated his deep commitment to the sport we love through judging, driving, hosting record capable tournaments (free of charge!), holding several officer positions, and providing tow boats over the years for many Virginia tournaments. He supported his children and grandchildren at tournaments near and far (including on other continents). 

What I’ll remember most about Steve was his friendly, warm nature; always greeting me at tournaments with a smile and firm handshake. When I was a newcomer to the waterski tournament scene nearly a decade ago, Steve made me feel like a part of the Virginia water ski ‘family’ in short order. Just last Fall, he invited me into his home where he proctored the practical exam for my regular slalom judgeship. I will truly miss Steve!

A visitation will be held on Sunday, April 21, between 6-8pm, at Storke Funeral Home, 111 S. Main St, Bowling Green VA 22427; and a funeral service on Monday, April 22, at 11am, Salem Baptist Church, 24032 Sparta Road, Milford, VA 22514.

Please keep the Lohr/Davis families in your prayers during this difficult time.

— John Wilson

Jerry Stansberry, a pioneer of competitive water skiing in Virginia, passed away on Saturday, September 10th. Many of us have much appreciation and gratitude for what Jerry accomplished. Roger Hammel provided the following summary regarding Jerry’s contributions toward our sport.

Virginia Competitive WaterSkiers:

If you are relatively new to VA waterskiing, you may not know Jerry. So this is both a tribute to Jerry and a bit of a history lesson as I remember or know it.

Jerry has been retired from the Virginia and Eastern Region skiing scene for about 5 years, maybe a couple more, electing to become an Emeritus Judge. Before that, Jerry was a very active Senior Judge in our area.

To get a sense of the importance of Jerry to Virginia and Eastern Region waterskiing, you need to go back into the late 50’s and play it forward from there. So lets talk about Jerry and competitive skiing in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and later so everyone gets a sense of who this lady was and her central roles in waterskiing as we know it. It is a wee small history lesson for VA competitive waterskiing, too, focused on Jerry.  Not everyone or every lake is mentioned, as this is a description of Jerry and her roles. You have my apologies for omissions. Continue reading →

Paul Allebach passed away September 19 at his home in Harleysvile, PA, following an extended illness.  He is survived by his wife Sarah, sisters Alice Kolb and Esther Kauffman, brothers Jim and Abe, nieces Nancy Swartout and Kathy Becker, and many other nieces and nephews.

Paul was a member of AWSA for almost 60 years, participating in many local, regional and national tournaments as both a trick skier and a senior driver. He was a member of the Diamond State Water Ski Team, served as chief driver of Nationals and drove several Pan-Am tournaments.  Paul was a member of the AWSA board of directors and chairman of the towboat committee for a number of years.

He also enjoyed many snow skiing trips, visiting new resorts whenever possible.  He followed Philadelphia sports teams and NASCAR.

Read the full obituary at WilliamsBergeyKoffel.com.

Ed accepts the Alan Rossi Award from Bruce Epstein in 2009.

Ed Brazil, a Lifetime Ambassador Member of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, passed away on Friday, April 26. Brazil, a native of Laconia, NH, was known throughout the water ski world for his work as a technical controller, his contributions to water ski site development, and innovation for all things water ski related.

Skip was a longtime member of the Abenaki Water Ski Club of Wolfeboro and was a ski jumping fixture in their water ski shows for years. He participated in competitive water skiing over four decades, setting the Eastern Regional Jump record in 1992 and 1993. He was a multi-time Eastern US Regional Champion, placed second in the World Masters Games in 1985 in Toronto, and placed third at the US Nationals in 1983. Continue reading →