Virginia Weeks Wallace 's Obituary
Virginia Weeks Wallace, 98, of Tallahassee, died on May 13, 2020. She was born in 1921 in Henderson, Tennessee, to James Clifford and Dora Ethel Weeks. She was predeceased in 1987 by her husband of 49 years, Lawrence Emmett Wallace (“Emmett”), her brother, Oran Dempster Weeks (“Demp”) in 2009, and one grandson who died at birth, Richard Matthew Bell Jr.
Virginia is survived by daughters Patty Wallace and Margaret Wallace (John Fain) of Tallahassee, son Robert Wallace (Diane) of Munfordville, Kentucky; grandchildren Richard Bell, Elizabeth Bell, and Lisa Harris of Tallahassee, Amy Pottorff of Fayetteville, North Carolina; nephews James K. Weeks (Susie) of Manti, Utah, and Frank Weeks (Diane) of Johnson City, Tennessee; six great-grandchildren and numerous great-nieces and nephews.
Virginia lived in interesting times, from the outhouse to the Internet. In her early days, Virginia was raised on a farm without indoor plumbing. She rode to school with her brother on the back of a mule. When her father was elected sheriff of Chester County, Tennessee, she lived with the family at the jail and her mother prepared meals for the “residents,” much like in Aunt Bea in Mayberry. She was upset to have to move just before her senior year of high school, to West Palm Beach, Florida, but she ultimately settled in and gained new friends and graduated from Palm Beach High School. After high school she returned to Tennessee and attended West Tennessee Business College in Jackson. During World War II she aided the war effort by working at an ammunition plant in Milan, Tennessee. After the war, she returned to West Palm Beach, where, while working as a secretary, she met and married her boss, Emmett, in 1948. She became a “stay-at-home” mother for their three children during their early years.
In 1963, the family moved to Tallahassee, Emmett’s family home. She continued to care for her family, serving as both a Girl Scout leader and Cub Scout den mother. Virginia was always a hard worker, both at home and out of the home. She was a great housekeeper and excellent cook, and an excellent seamstress (making most of her own and her children’s clothes), and loved gardening, mostly vegetables. In addition to all that, she stayed busy with a succession of part-time party sales products. As the kids got older and more independent, she worked full-time for years as a clerk typist for state agencies including the Department of Environmental Protection (DER, at that time). She also enjoyed working for the Dean of the Florida State University College of Law and the Statewide Grand Jury for a while. In her sixties, she decided to teach herself how to use a computer (a Kaypro) and became quite proficient at typing papers for many Florida State University undergraduate and graduate students. She returned to full-time work after the death of her husband, ending her career at the Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Carrier Compliance, where she greatly enjoyed the camaraderie of her co-workers and the officers, not leaving work until around age 90, when her job was phased out. She kept looking for another job, not content to stop working, but her family finally convinced her it was her time to enjoy staying at home and let them take over the caretaking.
For the last few years Virginia was a resident at the Seven Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center at Tallahassee, where she received excellent care, along with the assistance of the Big Bend Hospice at the end of her life.
A private burial will be at Roselawn Cemetery next to her husband Emmett, no other services are planned at this time.
What’s your fondest memory of Virginia ?
What’s a lesson you learned from Virginia ?
Share a story where Virginia 's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Virginia you’ll never forget.
How did Virginia make you smile?