RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — The funeral honoring the life and legacy of the late Virginia Congressman Donald McEachin was held in Richmond Wednesday morning.
McEachin died in late November at age 61 after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Colette and their three children.
The funeral was held at St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Richmond. McEachin’s family asked that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to Virginia Union University’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, the institution where McEachin received his Master of Divinity in 2008.
He was first elected to represent the strongly Democratic leaning 4th District in 2016 and had just won reelection for a fourth term this November. The district stretches from the Richmond area down to the North Carolina line and east to Chesapeake. He’d become known in Congress for his work on environmental and social justice initiatives, and bringing people together.
McEachin was the first Black candidate from a major party to run for Virginia attorney general (the only election he ever lost), and was just the third Black person ever elected to Congress from Virginia.
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