ORANGE — Residents in this quiet town expressed relief Monday that two people suspected of killing a local businessman had been arrested in Virginia over the weekend, even as they struggled to accept the loss of a beloved member of the community.

Thomas Harty, 95, was killed inside his East River Street residence Wednesday night in a home invasion that left his 77-year-old wife, Joanna Fisher, with serious injuries, according to Mary Carey, a spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.

Fisher, who uses a wheelchair, was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center for treatment, Sullivan’s office said.

Joshua Hart, 23, and Brittany Smith, 27, both of Athol, were arrested by the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Department in Virginia on Massachusetts warrants for larceny of a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property, a charge that was related to stolen credit or debit cards, Carey said.

Harty and Fisher’s stolen 2003 Toyota Corolla station wagon was also recovered in a different location in Virginia, Carey said.

On Monday, friends, neighbors, and relatives recalled Harty as a generous and active man who didn’t let his advanced years slow him down. He remained an avid hiker, often using a pair of canes to get around, and continued to work at the family business he founded more than 30 years ago, they said.

“He worked every day, five days a week. He worked the day he was killed,’’ said a woman who identified herself as a close family member but declined to give her name. “He drove all over Western Massachusetts on a route as a salesman.’’

The woman stood outside Harty’s business, Donbeck Sales, a tool and fastener supply company, talking with another woman and a longtime customer and family friend named Carl. Signs in the windows read “Closed until further notice.’’

The trio reminisced about Harty’s adventures leading groups of hikers along portions of the Appalachian Trail, the Long Trail in Vermont, and into the Grand Canyon.

“He loved to share the Grand Canyon with people, and they came to love it as much as he did,’’ the relative said. “He hiked down to Phantom Ranch twice a year for 30 years.’’

Since Harty’s death, Carl hasn’t been able to drive past the business without getting choked up, he said.

“He was always the kind of guy that went the extra mile for whatever he was involved in,’’ Carl said.

Harty had been a scoutmaster in the town’s Boy Scouts program for about two decades and would pay from his own pocket for boys whose families couldn’t afford scouting activities, Carl said.

Earlier in the afternoon, Erik Hansen, 73, stopped by Harty’s home to leave flowers at a memorial outside the house. An Army veteran, Hansen saluted Harty, who had served in the Navy during World War II, according to his obituary.

Hansen said he had seen Harty all over town for years. They always exchanged friendly greetings, but he wished he had gotten to know him better.

“He was always up to something, and that’s probably why he lived that long,’’ he said.

Hart and Smith were being held without bail and were scheduled to be arraigned in Virginia as fugitives from justice, possibly on Wednesday, Carey said. If they waive rendition, they could return to Massachusetts later in the week.

They are charged with murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, home invasion, larceny, and conspiracy, Carey said.

Hart and Smith were arrested in Orange just two days before the home invasion for the alleged theft of a 2006 Chevrolet Aveo that belonged to a member of Smith’s family, officials said. Smith was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, and Hart was charged as an accessory after the fact.

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox.