Earl Snidow Lucas, Jr.

With great sadness and gratitude for a life well-lived, the family shares that Earl Snidow Lucas, Jr. was called home to God on December 9, 2025. He is survived by his wife, Edris Lovie Grizzard Lucas; children, Karen (Bernie) Mitscherlich and Kevin Lucas; grandchildren, Ryan (Katherine) Mitscherlich, Grace Mitscherlich, Zoe Lucas, and Kate Mitscherlich; brother, Edward (Barbara) Lucas; and many nieces and nephews. Loved by all, he had a good sense of humor and enjoyed sharing his talents and helping others whenever possible. Faith in and love for God was a cornerstone in his life, which he readily shared with others. He loved spending time with others, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed meeting people and hearing their stories, volunteering for Meals-on-Wheels, and through the Lions Club to help others.

Earl was born April 15, 1936, to the late Clara Woodard Parker Lucas and Earl Snidow Lucas and is predeceased by his brother, Jack Woodard Lucas. He was a native of Emporia, Virginia, spending his early years in town, moving out to the family farm, and later moving back to town, living on Hicksford Avenue. He and his brothers enjoyed many backyard baseball and football games with other neighborhood boys and were huge fans of the minor league team, the Nationals, later named the Rebels, a minor league team for the Washington Senators that played in Emporia in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In high school, Earl carried newspapers and worked odd jobs, and was senior class president, graduating from Greensville County High School in 1954.

Earl was a man of many talents and interests, an inventor, engineer, artist, and avid reader. He loved airplanes, enjoyed playing golf, and enjoyed setting up model trains with his children, passing on something he enjoyed as a child with his brothers. After high school, he went to Virginia Tech and was part of the Corps of Cadets, graduating in 1959 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He held a Professional Engineer license for many years and holds a number of patents relating to plastics and packaging that are in common use today. Worked for many years as the Plant Engineer for Reynolds Metals Company at their Grottoes, Virginia plant, ending his professional career at their Bellwood location as a Marketing Director in New Product Development. Earl was a member of the Army National Guard from 1959 to 1965, and also held a Real Estate license in Virginia for many years.

Having known each other since before elementary school, Earl and Lovie married in 1959. They lived in a number of places - Shelbyville, IN, Covington, VA, Lexington, NC, Waynesboro, VA, and ending up in the Richmond area. Earl also spent some extended time in the Outer Banks with his son over the years. A dog-lover throughout his life, he had many dogs - Tashi, Teddy, Buckwheat, Tom, Ben, Dixie, and others.

To celebrate his life, a visitation will be held at Monaghan Funeral Home in Mechanicsville, VA, on Monday, December 15, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, with his memorial service beginning at 2:00 pm. He will be laid to rest at a later date, tentatively at the Emporia Cemetery in Emporia, Virginia.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.