Ralph James "Bart" Bartholomew, age 95, died Monday, May 7, 2012. He was preceded in death by his wife Wilma; a sister, Jane Bartholomew; and a brother, Robert O. Bartholomew. He is survived by his daughter Becky Marsten and her husband Kent, and a grandson, Jeremy Hawkins. A native of Rochester, N.Y., Bart attended the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse and completed graduate work at California Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University. He served in the United States Army Air Corp during World War II, stationed at the Pentagon and later in the Pacific as a long-range weather forecaster. He began his career with the Virginia Division of Forestry in 1946, first working in Bristol, Virginia; then moving to Portsmouth, Virginia, where he was a district forester; and later moving to Charlottesville, Virginia, as chief of forest protection for the state of Virginia. He retired in 1981. Upon retirement, Bart began his second career as a volunteer. In Charlottesville, he worked with the literacy program, delivered Meals on Wheels, volunteered at the Ivy Creek Natural Area as a nature guide and in trail maintenance, and worked with Habitat for Humanity. After moving to Ashe County, Bart began volunteering immediately for Meals on Wheels and the Friends of the Library. A highlight for Bart was working on the Creeper train diorama at the Museum of Ashe County History. Bart was a generous, loving man who found joy in doing for others and was grateful for what others did for him. The family will hold a private interment at Monticello Memory Gardens in Charlottesville, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations can be made to the charity of your choice or to one of the following: Haiti Fund, P.O. Box 1075, New Bern, NC 28563 Building Goodness Foundation, P.O. Box 2246, Charlottesville, Va. 22902 Bethany United Methodist Church, 495 Hwy 194 South, West Jefferson, NC 28694