The Republican Party lost one of its stalwart supporters in Southside Virginia with the death of Tucker Carrington Watkins IV, former party chairman in the 5th Congressional District.
Mr. Watkins, 66, died on Saturday at Halifax Regional Hospital. Days earlier, he had appeared at the opening of a campaign office in Chase City for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, despite recovering from treatment for colon cancer, said state Sen. Frank M. Ruff, R-Mecklenburg.
"It's a big loss for the whole region," said Ruff, who served with Mr. Watkins on the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission.
Mr. Watkins, a native of Halifax who lived on Black Walnut Farm near Clover, was a political mainstay in Southside, serving as field director for then-U.S. Sen. George Allen and managing the 2008 campaign of then-5th District Rep. Virgil H. Goode.
"He just knew a world about politics," Goode said on Sunday.
Allen, who is running to regain the Senate seat he lost in 2006, called Mr. Watkins "a dedicated, patriotic leader for Southside Virginia" and "a truly special friend."
"I'm glad he was at a town hall meeting in Halifax County last month," Allen said in a statement Sunday on Mr. Watkins' death. "It allowed all of us to cheer for him and express our gratitude for his positive influence in our lives."
Mr. Watkins was a graduate of Virginia Military Institute and an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
He came to politics through his father, the late Dr. William Randolph Watkins, said Ruff, who said Mr. Watkins loved political conversation and debate.
"He didn't consider political adversaries as enemies," Ruff said. "He considered them an opportunity to discuss the issues of the day."
Mr. Watkins is survived by a sister, Ruth Porter Watkins, of South Boston. He was preceded in death by a brother, William R. Watkins Jr.; a sister, Louise Watkins Moore; and a nephew, Lt. Col. William R. Watkins III.
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday at the First Presbyterian Church in South Boston. Burial will follow with military rites in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
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