Louis “Dave” Herman II, of Woodstock, VA passed away at home on Saturday, August 1, 2026 with his wife, Karen, and son, David, at his side. He is survived by his sister Diana Paxton, sister-in-law Sandra Charles with her husband Randall Allen, and many nephews and nieces.
Dave grew up in a military household and spent his early days between California, Alaska, and Virginia, where the family eventually settled and where he met his wife of 48 years.
In 1985, Dave and Karen started their own business, Dulles International Motorsport, LTD., an independent German automotive center in Herndon, VA. While the company offered sales and service, its specialty revolved around Dave’s passion: performance engineering and race modifications. Eventually, the couple began to race together, campaigning the cars Dave built up and down the East Coast. In 1994, they had their only son, “David”. Dave shifted gears and became a dad involved in his son’s athletics and academic endeavors of all kinds.
After 20+ years in business, Dave retired to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Never one to sit still, he opened ATS Driving School, where he taught students skills far beyond the basics required to get a license, ensuring they were familiar with off-road maneuvers, accident avoidance, and safety inspections. He briefly wrote “The Car Guy” column for the NV Daily and spent much of his time working with his son restoring, modifying, and fixing a variety of cars, passing on a generational passion for all things mechanical.
Dave is a parishioner of St. John the Baptist Church, Front Royal, VA where his service, a Traditional Requiem (Latin) Mass will be held on Friday, August 7th at 10:30 AM, with his burial at Cool Springs Cemetery, Berryville, VA immediately following. Any words, readings, or memories may be shared at the gravesite.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Poor Clares, 2505 Stonehedge Drive, Alexandria, VA 22306; the St. John the Baptist Building Fund, 120 West Main Street, Front Royal, VA 22630; or the Second Amendment Foundation, Attn: Development, 12500 NE 10th Pl. Bellevue, WA 98005.
