Raymond C. Robertson, Staunton's former commonwealth's attorney, dead at 80
STAUNTON — Raymond C. Robertson, Staunton's former commonwealth's attorney who retired at the end of 2017 following 43 years as the city's top prosecutor, died Friday after battling pancreatic cancer for three years.
He was 80 years old.
Robertson served 11 terms in Staunton before his retirement. He was first elected to the position of commonwealth's attorney in 1973.
"I have always loved helping victims in their time of sorrow or trouble," Robertson said in 2017 when announcing his retirement. "And I've always enjoyed putting the bad guys where they belong."
Born in St. Louis, Roberson's obituary said he moved to Virginia as a young boy in 1951. A stellar student and valedictorian of his high school class, he attended the University of Richmond before being accepted into the University of Virginia School of Law, where he graduated in 1968.
"He was an amazing dad," said his oldest son, Raymond "Ramey" Robertson, who joined his father's office as a paralegal in 2005 and continues to be employed there. "I loved working with him as well."
Following his retirement, Robertson traveled the world with his wife by taking many ocean and river cruises. "He and mom loved doing that stuff," his son said.
Ramey Robertson said although his father could be a tough prosecutor, he also had a sense of compassion, and noted he was instrumental in helping get the local drug court going as well as the local Valley Alcohol Safety Action Program (VASAP), which aims to decrease the amount of drivers operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Robertson's father was killed by a drunk driver when he was in college, and he assisted in writing Virginia's first VASAP law to combat drunk driving.
Staunton's current commonwealth's attorney, Jeff Gaines, described Robertson's prosecutorial style as "phenomenal," and said he was driven by his passion for victims. "Once he locked in on somebody, he definitely went after them," Gaines said.
Gaines worked with Robertson for more than two decades, but admitted it took his former boss about a year or so to warm up to him. "He had a little bit of an edge professionally," Gaines said. But after they got to know each other better, Gaines said Robertson opened up a bit more. "He was a very warm fellow, very caring," he said.
Gaines said Robertson was also a devout man of faith and a family man, and noted he was a strong college debater and an avid chess player. "He was a fanatic about chess," Gaines said.
Circuit Judge Anne Reed also worked in the Staunton Commonwealth's Attorney's Office as a prosecutor with Robertson before becoming a judge in 2020. She said Robertson strongly believed the role of a prosecutor was to seek justice, no matter if that meant a conviction with a lengthy sentence or not charging someone at all.
"He emphasized that to all attorneys who worked for him, and that principle guided his long and storied career as a prosecutor," Reed said.
Waynesboro attorney Wayne Glass said he was hired straight out of law school by Robertson in 1974. "I was the first assistant commonwealth's attorney the City of Staunton ever had," Glass said, a position he held for 10 years.
While Robertson and Glass prosecuted in Staunton, they also had their own private practice on the side. "We had a partnership called Robertson and Glass," said Glass, who now practices with attorney John Hill at PoindexterHill, P.C.
Glass said Robertson was accepted into Harvard Law School but said his former partner, who came from modest means, instead chose the University of Virginia School of Law after being given a full scholarship.
"Ray was one of the smartest and kindest people I ever knew, and he was very much ahead of his time on a lot of issues" such as the drug court and VASAP, Glass said.
Robertson also self-published four books.
According to his obituary, a funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. at the St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Staunton on Wed., May 3. Burial will follow at the Thornrose Cemetery at 11:30 a.m.
Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Ray Robertson, Staunton's top prosector for 4 decades, died last week
