Paul W. Hammack, Jr. departed this life, at the age of 86, on Friday, June 26, 2026 in Frederick, Maryland. He was born to the late Constance Thomas Hammack and Paul Willard Hammack on September 21, 1939 in Washington, DC. Paul was raised in Arlington County, Va., graduating from Wakefield High School in 1957 where he was a member of the football and track teams, and worked as a lifeguard in the summers. He attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he served as a dormitory counselor and was a member of the Psi Chapter of Sigma Chi Fraternity, graduating with a B.A. in Economics in 1962. He then enrolled in the School of Law at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., graduating with an LL.B in 1965. He also attended graduate law classes at The George Washington University. Paul was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Linda Dolly Hammack, a 1962 graduate of Mary Baldwin College; and is survived by a number of cousins. Upon graduation from law school, Paul began practicing law with the firm of Phillips, Kendrick, Gearhart and Aylor in Arlington County, Va. He was appointed as a Special Justice for Arlington County. He then became a General Attorney with the Common Carrier Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission and served as an Attorney with the National Automobile Dealers Association. He returned to private practice in 1971, practicing with several firms in Northern Virginia, including Russell and Hammack. From 1983 until his retirement in 2017, he practiced as a sole practice lawyer and an office in McLean and later Fairfax, Va. He was admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia, where he appeared before state, federal and appellate courts in both jurisdictions. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. Throughout his career, he was active in state and local bar associations, serving as a District Governor of the former Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, as a member of the Virginia State Bar (VSB) Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board (7 years), as a member of the VSB Judicial Nominations Committee (3 years), as a member of the VSB Bar Council (7 years), and was a contributor to the Fairfax Bar Circuit Court Manual. Paul would often describe himself as a country lawyer practicing in an urban setting. He was also active in community matters. Paul served as the President of the Strathmeade Square Community Association, the Mantua Citizens' Association (twice, once following the Pickett Road tank farm oil spill which significantly impacted the community), the Lawyers Row II Professional Center, and was a long-time member of the Theater Wagon, Inc., a Virginia non-profit, based in Staunton, Va. He was appointed to the Board of Zoning Appeals of Fairfax County, serving over 38 years, much of it as its vice-chair. He was selected as "Citizen of the Year" in 2020 by the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations. He was the Class Agent for his law class at W & L University. Paul enjoyed travel, fishing, theater, music, and sailing in his younger years. Services to be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, 206 at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 9350 Braddock Road, Burke, Va. 22015. Burial will be at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Va. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Linda and Paul Hammack Endowment for Historic Preservation at the University of Virginia, PO Box 400807, Charlottesville, Va. 22904. www.staufferfuneralhome.com