Vanessa MacKinlay Bearden

Vanessa MacKinlay Bearden, 53, passed away in Nellysford, Virginia, on April 24, 2026, after a long illness.

Vanessa graduated from Norfolk Academy in 1991. She went on to Washington and Lee University and graduated in 1995. She then earned a Masters in English Education from Columbia University. She taught English at Episcopal High School in Alexandria and at the North Cross School in Roanoke before starting a family.

She had three boys, William Harvey Bearden IV (Trooper), Henry Hathaway Bearden, and Stewart MacKinlay Bearden. Her greatest joy was being a mother. She loved her boys fiercely and was so proud of the men they were becoming.

In addition to her children, Vanessa is survived by her mother, Julie W. MacKinlay; her sisters, Phoebe M. Hogeland (Tommy), Alexandra M. Locklear (Randy), and Charlotte M. Berron (Dave); her nieces and nephews, Eliza, Clara, and Reid Hogeland, Susanna and MacKinlay Locklear, Sam and Lou Berron; and her Jack Russell Terrier and constant companion, Ivy.

Her father, Edgar H. MacKinlay, preceded her in death in July 2025.

Vanessa will be laid to rest in the MacKinlay family plot at Union Cemetery in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania. Memorial donations in her name may be made to Norfolk Academy, 1585 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk, Virginia, 23502.

Arrangements by Wells/Sheffield Funeral Chapel, Lovingston (434-263-4097).