Propst, Robert William
Bill was born on May 21, 1937 in Mount Sidney, Virginia. He passed peacefully on April 18, 2024 at the Winchester Medical Center, Winchester, Virginia.
Bill is survived by his wife of 61 years, Joan Louise Hockman Propst of Berryville, VA; a daughter, Pamela Lynne Propst Moore and son-in-law, Major General (Retired) Kenneth “Ritchie” Moore of Southern Pines, NC; and a granddaughter, Hayley Elizabeth Moore of Republic, MO.
He is preceded in death by parents, Harry Loy Propst and Edith Mae Simmons Propst and three brothers, Herman Leonard Propst, Harry Lee Propst, and James Neal Propst.
Bill was educated in Shenandoah County Public Schools, graduated from Strasburg High School in 1955, and attended Shenandoah Conservatory of Music receiving a Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1959 while graduating first in the class. While at Shenandoah, he was a member of a quartet called the Troubadours, who performed at various venues in Virginia, West Virginia, and throughout the South. In 2018, he and his fellow quartet members were inducted in the Shenandoah University Hall of Fame.
From 1959-1962, he taught band and chorus at the new Strasburg High School in Strasburg, Virginia. It was there that he met and married his beloved wife, Joan in 1962.
Bill served in the U. S. Army from 1962-1965. After attending the Navy School of Music in Anacostia, his assignments included the Second Army Band at Fort Meade, Maryland and the Eighth Infantry Band in Bad Kreuznach, Germany where he served as assistant to the conductor and directed the Eighth Infantry Male Chorus.
After moving to Pulaski, Virginia in 1965, Bill was the band director at Pulaski High School and later as the first band director at the newly consolidated Pulaski County High School. He is known for composing the PCHS school song “Stand Up and Cheer” and his bands consistently received highest rating of excellence at festivals nationwide.
In 1969, he received the first master of arts degree ever awarded at Radford University, writing his thesis on Selected Choral Works of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
While living in Pulaski, Bill also served on the town planning commission and the president of Thorn Spring Country Club.
In 1991, he retired from teaching after eight years as band director at Park View High School, Sterling, Virginia where he was named Teacher of the Year in 1991.
After retirement, Bill devoted over 11 years as the Musical Director of the Loudoun Chorale, a community based choral group performing many of the great choral works of master composers such as Brahms, Haydn, Mozart, Faure, Handel, and Vaughn Williams.
He was a volunteer in the AARP Tax-Aide program, an active member in the American Legion Post 41 and served for many years as the Treasurer of the Clarke County Lions Club. He was a Lions Club Melvin Jones Fellow.
Bill enjoyed gardening, hunting, traveling, reading history, baking, and an avid golfer.
The family will receive friends 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P. M. and a memorial service will follow at 12:00 P. M. Friday, April 26, 2024 at Enders & Shirley Funeral Home Chapel, Berryville. Burial will be at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to John H. Enders Fire & Rescue, 9 S. Buckmarsh St., Berryville, VA 22611.
To view the obituary and send condolences online, please visit www.endersandshirley.com.
