Obituary of Vincent Doveton Lee-Thorp

Vincent D. Lee-Thorp Beloved husband, father, and friend, Vincent Doveton Lee-Thorp of Great Falls, VA, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2017. A modern Renaissance man of engineering, art, and family, he will be dearly missed by his wife, Jennifer Edge Lee-Thorp, his family, and his many friends. Born in Witbank, South Africa, on March 27, 1928, Vincent enjoyed his formative years at the prestigious Hilton College, where he was Head Boy. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, before immigrating to the US, where he settled in McLean, and later in Great Falls, VA. Resolutely pursuing his passion for engineering, Vincent earned a Masters of Engineering Administration from George Washington University in 1962. Vin was a founding partner of Smith & Lee-Thorp Consulting Engineers, which in the early 1980s became Summer Consultants. In retirement, one of his interests was researching the history of engineering in Washington, D.C. Based on that research, Vin’s book Washington Engineered, was published in 2006 by Noble House. He wrote for a wide audience, as noted by the book’s summary, “…it is a book for anyone who enjoys history and the human factors behind the stories.” Vin's passions extended beyond engineering. He studied and enjoyed fine wine (forming a wine import business), travelled Europe, Africa, and India, relished a rousing discussion over a fine meal, and was a prolific painter of still-life and landscape art. Vincent was preceded in death by his parents Erma Caroline (Ainslie) Thorp, and Rupert "Jackie" Grierson Thorp; and sister Winifred Edgar. Vincent is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and his children: Patrick (Julia), Hamburg, Germany; Tim (Kim), San Clemente, CA; Karen (Greg Herr), Brea, CA; Robin (Kristin Carlson), Fairfax VA; Bruce (Jennifer) Edge, Calabasas, CA; Jonathan (Marci) Edge, Granada Hills, CA. Vincent is also fondly remembered by his former wife, Jan; his niece Susan Coltman; his ten grandchildren (Andrew, Charles, James, Austin, Greir, Vaughn, Megan, Marissa, Maggie, Rowan), and his three great-grandchildren (Matthew, Michael, Micah). Memorial services will be held on February 4, 2017 at 2:00PM at Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, 8991 Brock Road, McLean, VA 22102. In lieu of flowers, to honor Vincent's passion for engineering, the family is asking that memorial donations be made to the ASHRAE foundation http://foundation.ashrae.biz/ ASHRAE Foundation 1791 Tullie Circle Atlanta GA 30329 A memorial service will be held at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, in McLean, VA, on a date to be determined.