Suddenly last week, Eve Fout, 78, of The Plains, a prominent citizen and much admired defender of Virginia countryside, died following surgery at the University of Virginia Hospital. Her death is a great loss to her family, friends and equestrian enthusiasts who, only in October, applauded her win of the North American Field Hunter Championship with Morning Pleasure.

Her commitment to the preservation of Fauquier County and the surrounding environs was legendary. She and her late husband, Paul, were a partnership to be reckoned with in the steeplechase, foxhunting and horse show worlds. For the past ten years she chaired the Piedmont Environmental Council, she was a renowned equine artist and an avid supporter of the U.S. Pony Club of Middleburg and Orange County. She hunted with the Orange County Hunt and the Middleburg Orange County Beagles. She leaves three children: Doug and his wife both of The Plains; Nina of Middleburg and Virginia of California, and her brother, Bill Prime of Warrenton, two grandchildren, Dunn and Caroline Fout, and her stepmother, Inga Prime.