Michael Greenlee Van Ness, Esq., of Lexington, Virginia was loved by an eclectic group of people because he listened to them — and because he himself loved so broadly, deeply, and enduringly.

On March 29 at age 49, Michael passed away due to a stroke, heart disease and kidney failure in Lewis Gale Hospital.

Michael was born on August 15, 1970 to the late Ray "Johnny" Van Ness Sr., and Jeannie Straub Van Ness. He's survived by older brother, Ray Van Ness, a social studies teacher in Madison, N.C., as well as younger sister, Amanda Van Ness Davis (Daniel); beloved nephew, Nathan Davis and niece, Ashley Davis in Buena Vista. Michael has too many friends to mention at this time; they know who they are.

The week before his passing, he learned his nephew would be in the 2024 class of JMU. Though not attending his own alma mater, he was proud of him. In the end, Michael was blessed by the presence of his uncle, Ben Straub, a hero of his. Nearby was the Roanoke Civic Center where Ben helped shape Michael's love of classic rock.

Gifted with a keen, swift, and curious mind and great sense of humor, Michael was an idealist. He liked his middle name because he loved environmental studies (and vice versa). He was an avid reader, who loved history, music and Rockbridge County, where his family roots were deep; and the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah regions. He was proud to have Indian (Cohari) tribal membership through his maternal grandmother. As a kid, Michael had aptly been "Red Chief" in a play. He had red hair.

Educated in forestry at Virginia Tech, Van Ness received a B.S. in forestry and wildlife sciences with an option in environmental conservation and completed over a third of the required courses for an M.B.A. degree before graduating in 1993. In 1996 he received his juris doctor degree and a certificate in environmental and natural resources law from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

In 1995, he was a quarter-finalist and won third-best brief in the National Native American Law Student Moot Court Competition while working in volunteer legal capacities for both the Klamath and Umatilla Tribes in Oregon. In 1997 he passed the Virginia Bar exam (on his first attempt).

Previous boards he has served on include the Advisory Board for Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources, Virginia Conservation Network and for the New River Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council. Mr. Van Ness has served as the director of special programs at the Valley Conservation Council of Staunton, as well as the executive director of the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council (RACC).

Since 1997, he has been project manager of successful programs supported by private foundations and state and federal agencies such as the USDA, EPA, and Virginia's DEQ, DCR, and VDACS. Additionally, he held leadership roles in RACC, the Valley Conservation Council, the Western Virginia Land Trust, and the New River Land Trust. During this period, he helped save more than 20,000 acres of farm and forest land. He also led the three-year effort to preserve the 10,000 acre "Big Survey" in Wythe County — then Virginia's largest conservation project in 20 years — by working with Wytheville, many landowners, and donors from whom he raised $3 million. The Big Survey was ultimately conveyed to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and is one of the largest Wildlife Management Areas in Virginia.

In 2018, he had returned to Lexington to teach at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College. Mr. Van Ness currently served as vice chairman for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Leadership Council. In addition, he was a founding board member of the Virginia Food System Council and served on their board of directors from 2009 to 2011. Previous boards he has served on include the Advisory Board for Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources, Virginia Conservation Network and for the New River Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council.

He met several governors and in 2018 his friendship with Dorothy McAuliffe enabled him to fulfill a wish of his mother's by her being invited to the governor's mansion to help with Christmas decorations.

Michael had a passion for helping the underdog. Those who understood him best will recall him as resembling both Shel Silverstein's titular Giving Tree and the story's boy who made a crown from the tree's branches to "play king of the forest".

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in a special education account for his nephew Nathan and niece Ashley Davis at City National Bank, 128 W. 21st St., Buena Vista, VA 24416.