Former Patrick County Administrator and House of Delegates member Barnie K. Day died Monday, May 12, of complications of Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
Day was 72.
During his life, Day was a jack of all trades and a master of all, excelling as a newspaperman, radio news editor, editor of a string of small newspapers in Missouri, farmer, merchant, manufacturing executive, banker, rancher, medical administrator, local government executive, politician, Patrick County Administrator and county supervisor, Virginia General Assembly delegate, and writer.
Referred to by one journalist as “Virginia’s Mark Twain,” Day was named by another observer as “The Country Doctor of Political Satire.” One review of his Amazon Books–published novel, “The Last Pahvant,” dubbed him “The Pat Conroy of the Blue Ridge.”
Stuart Town Council member Dave Hoback said he first met Day in 1985 when he was hired as Patrick County’s special projects director by then–County Administrator Day.
“A lot of people are described as being true originals, Barnie unquestionably was. He possessed a keen intellect, an agile mind, a rapier-edge wit, a disarming charm, and a gift of gab that he could talk with anybody. He could talk with the governor, or he could talk with the common man from the street. It didn’t matter. He was equally capable of connecting at whatever level he needed to,” Hoback said.
Hoback said Day was a mentor to him, and eventually the two became friends.
“He was extremely kind to me,” he added.
Hoback said he felt Day took a risk in hiring him because “folks on the board at the time preferred he hired somebody from the county,” and Hoback came from outside the community. “But he seemed to, or at least I’d like to think, that he saw potential in me,” he said.
When Day left the county administrator position, he advocated for Hoback to succeed him in the role.
“I owe Barnie a lot. He did more professionally for me than anybody that I ever worked with in my entire career, and probably any success that I ended up later having was rooted in the things that he taught me and the confidence that he placed in me and the advocacy that he displayed on my behalf. I remain eternally indebted to him,” Hoback said.
He speculated that Day left his post as a productive and successful county administrator because he grew bored with the job and wanted new challenges. He also believes Day was a “terrific delegate,” noting that he doesn’t know of anyone who became relevant in the General Assembly as quickly as Day did.
“Most of them in the first term are kind of back benchers, you know you’re there to be seen and not heard. Well, he was heard. He was heard right from the beginning, and I would say that for somebody that was only there for four years, he had outsized influence,” Hoback said.
Day had a true passion for making the community a better and more just place.
“He had a laser focus and zealous determination to get things done. It didn’t matter if someone else’s ox got gored in the process, he was determined to see things through,” he said, adding that he will most remember Day’s great belly laugh and devilish smile.
Day was also an extremely creative and gifted person, Hoback said.
“He was a great storyteller, and he just had an innate way of looking at seemingly mundane things and turning them into just making you laugh until your ribs hurt,” he said.
Tony Giorno, a retired Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Virginia and former Patrick County Commonwealth’s Attorney, said Day was a quintessential Renaissance man.
“He was smart, he cared about people, and he had very high ethical standards. He was a character. I knew if I had a problem, I could go to Barnie and talk to him about it and I would get something that actually made sense,” he said.
While working together, Giorno saw Day mentor some of the county employees and noted he always made himself available when needed.
“I just can’t say enough good stuff about Barnie. When I heard about it (Day’s passing) it really was a tough blow to me because I was pretty close to him,” he said.
Giorno said he’ll remember Day as never doing anything strictly for political reasons.
“There were several decisions that came up before the board that had potential political implications, and Barnie was always like, ‘what’s the best to do for the county? What’s the best thing to do for the folks that actually put us in these positions,’” he recalled.
Giorno said there was never a doubt in his mind that Day had a right “moral barometer,” which could be unusual in the political spectrum.
“He put the county first, he put the people of the county first, and he was always like, ‘well, is it the right thing to do?’ It wasn’t just ‘can we do it, but is it the right thing to do,’” Giorno said.
While some were upset because of that, Giorno said Day still earned respect due to his high morals.
“Barnie and I didn’t always agree, but our disagreements were strictly over things like policy or some practical thing. We never had a disagreement over whether something was the right thing to do,” he said.
For example, Giorno said he and Day had just finished negotiating with a company to locate to the county, open a manufacturing plant, and create a number of jobs.
“It was going to be in an area of the county where we needed some industry at the time. The negotiations went on for quite a while. They eventually came to an agreement, the deal was signed, and the company was fine — they were going to come in and do it and actually started working on it,” he said.
At that time, it was a done deal, and the only thing left was to wait for the company to finish its work.
Giorno said Day came into his office one day saying he had gotten a nice gift, a “high dollar pen,” from the company’s CEO.
“I said, ‘well, okay. Why did he give it to you?’ He said, ‘I don’t know Tony. He gave it to me and said he appreciated my help with basically keeping the communications open and things like that,’” he said.
When he asked Day what the issue was, Giorno said Day believed he shouldn’t keep the pen.
“I said, ‘well, you don’t have to keep it. What exactly is your concern? It’s not a bribe, you’ve already done the stuff that you did in the context of your job.’ He said, ‘well that was just it Tony, I was doing my job. I didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t ordinarily do for anybody else that came in. I just don’t want there to be an appearance of impropriety,’” he said.
Giorno said Day’s concern wasn’t that there was anything improper, but that there could be an appearance that he or the county was doing something wrong.
Day eventually decided to give the pen back.
“I might have recommended the same thing because of appearances, but I never got the chance. He just came in and told me what he was planning to do,” Giorno recalled, adding that Day “worked his butt off to get that business to come into the county.”
After all these years, the business remains in the county and still employs several residents.
Day “did the right thing. There was no question in his mind that he was going to do that,” Giorno said.
Ron Haley, who worked with Day in the banking sector, said if you were a friend of Day’s, you were his friend for life.
“He did as much for this county and for the top of the mountain that anyone has done in a short period of time as he had here. Although he left Patrick County and went to Murrells Inlet (North Carolina), his love for the county never stopped,” Haley said.
He recalled that he and Day once traveled to New York to recruit one of the local manufacturers and talk them into relocating to Patrick County. The manufacturer is still in operation in the area.
“That was good times,” Haley said, adding that he’ll remember Day’s honesty, wit, and his command of the English language.
“Whether it was in Patrick County-ese or whether it was in New York-ese, he could talk to anyone,” he said.
Once, when Day had been out of office for about two years, the pair were in Richmond for Bank Day, where state bankers could come in and meet with their legislatures.
“I took him with me up there and we were going through the House building, and he says, ‘wait a minute,’ and he opened the door and walked in, and it was the Democratic caucus,” Haley said. “Now I didn’t go in behind him, but I could see from the hallway they stood up and started clapping — I know they clapped for five minutes when he walked in. That was the amount of respect he had of his fellow legislatures.”
As a delegate, Haley said Day was extremely effective. If someone in his district wanted or needed something, Day would go to bat for them, “and he would not give up until he saw that he wasn’t going to win or until he did win.”
Day started working with Haley in banking in 2001 and continued until he retired a little over a decade later.
“My son was a page up there in Richmond, and we’d gone up for the weekend to see him. We were riding through the circle at the capitol, and I saw Barnie’s car and I knew he wasn’t going to run again, so I stopped and put a note on his car. It said, ‘call me when you get home.’ He called me and I asked him, ‘you want a job?’ and that’s how that started,” Haley said, adding he and others lost a good friend with Day’s passing.
In addition to working with Day, former Patrick County Attorney Alan Black said they were also neighbors and close friends who knew each other for about 30 years.
“He was probably the most dynamic man I’ve ever known. He was friendly and respectful and well-liked by people from all walks of life. He was just able to be comfortable and confident in any kind of situation you could imagine,” he said.
Black said Day could handle himself well in any situation, whether it was in high-level politics and decision-making in Richmond or on a fishing trip.
“Sometimes you would go to visit him, and a governor would be on his front porch and a well-known burglar would be out there fishing in the back in his pond, and that was normal,” he said.
As a supervisor, Black said Day was a quick study who could understand complicated concepts easily.
“He was not afraid to do something that maybe some others disagreed with, but he thought was right. He had a backbone, which I respected,” he said.
Black believes Day thrived more while he served as a delegate for the area because he could get more accomplished. He also believes those in Meadows of Dan enjoyed having Day as delegate. He also was a leader in the community.
“If somebody new moved to our area, Barnie would invite them over for a get-together so that they could meet others in the community. He did that all the time. If someone moved into our area in Meadows of Dan, he would go out of his way to introduce them to local folks and make them comfortable and welcome in the community. He did that constantly,” he said.
Many also looked to Day for guidance and leadership, Black said.
“If there was an issue that needed to be addressed, people would ask him his opinion, and usually they would do whatever he suggested,” he said.
In addition to missing Day’s leadership ability, Black will miss Day’s ability to serve as a social center for the community.
“Through him, you would meet interesting people you otherwise wouldn’t know. He brought all kinds of different folks together in the same space, and so through him, people in the community got to know others in the community,” he said.
Because of how dynamic Day was, Black said watching him suffer from Parkinson’s was difficult.
“Parkinson’s is a debilitating disease, and you just observe a person suffering from Parkinson’s, they sort of wither in front of you, and that was difficult to watch, but he never complained. I never heard him once complain about it,” Black said.
Crystal Harris, a former Patrick County supervisor, said Day was always helpful when the county needed him.
“If I ever reached out to him, he was always there to help me with information I was looking for. He was always a gentleman that cared about Patrick County,” she said.
Harris remembers Day as being soft-spoken and informed.
Once, when she was trying to apply for a grant, Harris said the then–county administrator said she didn’t have time to prepare the application.
“I called Barnie and Barnie made sure that we got on the docket, and we got that grant. I think it was probably for the covered bridge, but Barnie went above and beyond to help us get that when the county administrator, whoever it was, would not help,” she said.
Harris believes Day’s leadership skills and mentorship of different county employees made an impact.
“I just think we’ve lost an amazing person in the county,” she added.
Retired Circuit Court Judge Martin Clark described Day as a genius and a powerhouse.
“Even slowed by illness, he always came off as bigger than life in so many ways. Barnie was often called ‘Virginia’s Mark Twain,’ but for me he was Cormac McCarthy crossed with George Will. Barnie K. Day was a one-of-a-kind bona fide star,” Clark said.
Former Del. Roscoe Reynolds said Day excelled as both a county administrator and a delegate.
“He showed courage in battling the disease that were ravaging him, and I’m just mighty sorry about his passing and hope things go the best they can for Debbie (Day’s wife) and the Day family,” he said.
Reynolds said he would remember Day as a great writer and teller of jokes, often using jokes in a way that stressed the point he was trying to make.
“Probably one of the ones that stick out in my mind is, there was a measure before the House of Delegates that had become very political. The advocates for the bill were saying more about it and overlooking its shortcomings and the negative impact it would have. Barnie started telling the story about a guy who’s riding out on the interstate and gets a phone call from his wife who says, ‘they just announced over the radio some fool on the interstate’s traveling in the wrong direction. You be careful.’” In response, Day said the husband responded, “‘I can see 10 coming at me right now that are on the wrong way,’” Reynolds said.
With the joke, Reynolds said Day stresses that the bill was the wrong way to try to approach the matter.
“That was fairly typical of him, and a lot of times he would involve Patrick County in his tales. That got everybody’s attention,” he said.
Barry Shelor, of Shelor’s Dairy, LLC, said he met Day when he moved to Meadows of Dan and became part of the community.
“He liked to hunt some and I liked to hunt, and I took him on a few trips. The biggest thing I know about Barnie was he could meet a stranger and make friends instantly, and they had something in common to talk about. It didn’t matter who it was,” he said.
When Day was elected as a delegate, Shelor assumed Day’s seat on the Board of Supervisors. Day went on to be “a good and effective delegate. I thought he should have stayed on, but after he was on there for a short period of time, they redistricted. That put him and Ward Armstrong and Tom Jackson all in the same district. So, Tom and Barnie stepped out so that Ward Armstrong would stay on. But I thought he was an excellent member of the General Assembly,” he said.
Shelor said Day truly loved working and doing things for the county to make it a better community.
“I think that was one of his best goals in life … to see Patrick County to be better than it was.”
