Remembering those who have contributed to the Waterford community.
Antonia Walker
Antonia Walker, longtime Waterford resident and talented artist, passed away in June 2026. Throughout her career, Antonia used her art to benefit others, participating in many pro-bono projects for public and nonprofit organizations including Loudoun County Public Schools, Oatlands, the town of Round Hill, Loudoun Foundation for the Arts, Journey Through Hallowed Ground, Loudoun Museum, Franklin Park, Loudoun Symphony and the Waterford Foundation. Over the decades that she lived in Waterford, Antonia rented studio space in many historic Waterford buildings, including most recently the Chair Factory on Second Street. She was a dedicated supporter of the Waterford Foundation, serving on its board from 1992-1995 and donating paintings to support several fundraising campaigns including the Raise the Roof campaign to build the Old School auditorium. She will be remembered not only as a phenomenal painter, but also as a kind and generous neighbor.
Linda Landreth
Linda Landreth, longtime Waterford resident and the heart of the Waterford Market, has passed away. For over 40 years, Linda’s historic 1883 country store was far more than a shop. It was a warm gathering place for neighbors and a living showcase for heritage fiber arts. When her husband unexpectedly passed away in 1983, it was the embrace of the Waterford community that inspired Linda to keep the market doors open, beginning a decades-long legacy of stewardship and community connection.
Linda was famously known as maybe the village’s most photographed resident, frequently captured by visitors and featured in publications like The Washington Post and Virginia Living. Readers across the region came to know her through her love of fiber, spinning yarns, and knitting items from her flock of Corriedale and Lincoln Longwool sheep kept right here in the village. As a dedicated shepherd and long-time leader of the Loudoun Valley Sheep Producers Association, Linda brought history to life. Her market was a place where you could stop in for a bottle of wine, a spinning or knitting lesson, or just a good story and a “yarn” about the past. At the Waterford Fair, her famous country lamb sausage was always a staple.
To local children, she was a patient mentor behind the counter. She loved teaching them old-fashioned retail manners and basic math skills, frequently asking the kids to figure out exactly how much change they were due when buying an ice cream. Linda’s warmth, quiet resilience, and deep love for Waterford made her an unforgettable part of our community, and she will be dearly missed. Further information about Linda’s celebration of life may be found here.
Tim McGinn
Tim McGinn, longtime Waterford resident and steadfast historic preservationist, passed away on May 7, 2026. Tim was an important resource for the Waterford Foundation in its stewardship of its historic buildings, operating his general contracting business T. H. McGinn & Co from Waterford since 1984. He earned his Masters in Historic Preservation from Goucher College, studying the impacts of increasing roadway height relative to surrounding historic building foundations in Waterford. He was always willing to share his extensive knowledge with others and was one of the first Waterford Craft School instructors, leading hands-on workshops in the preservation of wooden windows with students practicing their new skills on the windows of the Second Street School. Tim was also instrumental in securing critical funding for the restoration of the John Wesley Community Church by helping to develop cost estimates to support grant applications that were ultimately successful in raising $375,000 for this important work. Tim, along with his partner Antonia Walker, was a devoted caretaker of their historic home on Second Street and a cherished neighbor who will be missed.
Jill Beach
Jill Beach, Waterford resident and longtime Waterford Foundation supporter, died on March 22, 2025. Jill served on the Board of the Waterford Foundation from 1981 to 1988. Together with her late husband Mark, she was a strong advocate for preservation, supporting the Foundation in the maintenance and preservation of the Schooley Mill Barn and meadow. She was a strong supporter of the Waterford Concert Series and the campaign to build the new Old School Auditorium following the 2007 fire. Jill was also a strong supporter of the Waterford Fair. She opened her home The Dormers on Second Street for the Waterford Fair Homes Tour several times. Together with friend and neighbor Susanne Page, Jill started the Waterford Fair Photography Exhibit and ran the Exhibit for many years. Fellow Photography Exhibit co-chair Schuyler Richardson remembers Jill’s contributions to the Exhibit:
I was the worrier and Jill was always the cool and calm one. I worried about finding the judges; would we have enough entries or too many photographs etc. Jill would always say, “You don’t have to worry, everything always works out.” And it did, until the weekend of the hurricane. We had joined forces with The Fine Arts Show and were located in the Schooley Mill Barn. The show was hung beautifully, but then it started to rain, pour and blow. Jill and I ran to the barn and moved all the photos to her house. That was the year the Fair was cancelled. I am happy to say all the photographs survived.
One of Jill’s superpowers was having such a great “eye” for hanging the show. We would start with a multitude of photographs in numerous categories and Jill could figure out the perfect location for each one. It looked so effortless, but it took a real talent to hang the show. She was so great at it that the Loudoun Photo Club asked her to hang one of their shows.
Kathleen Elder
Kathleen Elder, former Waterford Foundation Board member, died on May 21, 2024 at home with her family. Kathleen served on the Board of the Foundation from 2015-2016 and also served as chair of the Land Use Committee. She was a fierce advocate for historic preservation and conservation in the Waterford community, and she supported the concept of preserving and celebrating the Foundation’s 13 historic properties through adaptive reuse.
Funeral services for Kathleen will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in Leesburg at 11:00am on June 8, 2024 with a reception to follow at the Waterford Old School. To honor Kathleen’s love of books, the family requests that those attending the reception bring a book to exchange with others.
Read more about Kathleen in her obituary here from the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
Susanne Page
Susanne Page, photographer and Waterford resident, died on May 13, 2024 following a brief illness. A celebrated photographer of indigenous people, Susanne brought her experience and love for photography to the Waterford community when she and fellow resident Jill Beach started the Waterford Fair Photography Exhibit. Together they ran the Exhibit for many years.
As Schuyler Richardson, fellow photographer and Exhibit volunteer remembers:
“during one of the last Fair photography shows, I was upstairs in the Red Barn, reviewing the many details of the show and feeling rather nervous. I looked up and standing quietly in the doorway was Susanne ready and willing to help. Never have I felt so relieved and happy to see anyone. She was just so kind and so thoughtful. … She and Jill were the heart of the exhibit and they loved every minute. I was lucky to have met Susanne and to call her friend. She was a lovely, brilliant, caring person and we shall all miss her.”
Read more about Susanne’s life and career as a photographer in her obituary from the New York Times.