The Honorable Douglas O. Tice, Jr. (90) of Virginia Beach and formerly of Richmond, passed away peacefully at home on February 28^th, 2024 with his wife and daughter by his side.

He was predeceased by his parents, Douglas O. Tice, Sr, and Lila Wright Tice and sister Barbara Tice Steele. He is survived by his wife and best friend, Martha Murdoch Tice, two children, Douglas Tice III (Miriam) and Janet Tice Powell (Bill), his sister Lila Ann Tunstall; three stepchildren, Sarah Hartz, Emily Basto and Michael Basto (Alison); two grandchildren, Douglas Tice IV (Sierra) and Christy Tice; four step-grandchildren, Kathryn Hartz, Charles Hartz, Grainger Basto and Walker Basto.

Doug was born in Lexington, NC and raised in Greensboro, NC. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned both undergraduate and law degrees.  As an undergraduate, he was a member of the UNC wrestling team where he earned the nickname of Tiger Tice.  He also served as a member of the U. S. Army reserve where he attained the rank of Captain.

Shortly after graduating from law school, he accepted a position with the IRS as a tax attorney and moved to Richmond to start a family.  After a brief stint there, he served as corporate counsel for Carlton Industries, a Richmond based industrial real estate developer with projects across the U. S. and in central America and was also a place where he formed a number of lifelong friendships. He hung out his own shingle in the mid 70’s, forming the law firm of Francis, Hubard & Tice (later Hubard, Tice, Marchant and Samuels). It was during this time that he developed a niche in the relatively new area of bankruptcy law, leading to his appointment as both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 trustee.

In 1987 he was appointed to the bench of the U. S. Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Virginia where he served with distinction for 25 years, including 10 years as a circuit rider covering Alexandria, Richmond, and Norfolk.  He then served as Chief Judge from 1999 until his retirement in 2013 at age 80. During his tenure on the bench, he presided over numerous high-profile cases where he addressed complex issues that continue to serve as precedent today, involving the dismantling of some of the Richmond region’s most notable companies such as the department store chain Miller & Roads, catalog showroom retailer Best Products, convenience store chain Fas Mart, home furnishings giant Heilig-Meyers, movie-rental company Movie Gallery, and specialty-packaging maker Chesapeake Corp.  He also handled legions of consumer cases where he was known to treat each debtor with the utmost kindness and compassion.

During his judicial service and tenure as the Chief Judge, the Richmond Division of the Eastern District of Virginia became a preferred filing jurisdiction for bankruptcy cases of all shapes and sizes. Judge Tice worked tirelessly to improve the bankruptcy system and to prepare the next generation of lawyers. For many years he was a contributing author to the bankruptcy treatise, Collier on Bankruptcy, and he served as a contributing author for every edition of Bankruptcy in Virginia, the premier bankruptcy handbook in Virginia.  In recognition of his service and commitment, Judge Tice was selected a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in 2004.  Having mentored some 25 clerks during his time on the bench, he was affectionately known for hosting an annual Christmas luncheon where they reunited for food and fellowship.

In 2018, the City of Richmond Bar Association awarded Judge Tice the Hunter W. Martin Professionalism Award, an annual award to one individual who throughout life and legal career best exemplified the conduct and high ideals embodied in the Bar’s Principles of Professionalism. As noted in the nomination package for the award, “Throughout his career he exemplified, and instilled, in all that practiced with and before him, the highest standards of professionalism, respect, civility, and ethical standards.”

Aside from his remarkable career, he served for many years on the Board of the Richmond Forum, was a member of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and enjoyed their annual garden parties as well as the Civil War roundtable group there. He was a subject matter expert on Civil War history, speaking on the topic many times both in Virginia and around the US.

In his personal life, Doug was a friendly, kind, quick witted and easy-going person that befriended interesting people from all walks of life.  In addition to his family, his life passions included long distance running, photography, reading, music (especially classical, jazz, opera & bluegrass) as well as the history of Richmond and the Civil War, which led to his 1996 co-authoring of Monument & Boulevard, Richmond’s Grand Avenues, and at 88 years of age, the publishing of a book on the Richmond Bread Riot, which took place during the Civil War.  He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Westwood Club, 6200 W. Club Ln, Richmond, Va 23226, on March 23^rd at 3 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your favorite charity.