Virginia Lee Zumwalt's Obituary
Zumwalt, Virginia born on February 26, 1932 in Tulsa, OK and passed away on June 16, 2015 in Dallas, TX. Born in Tulsa Oklahoma to Henry Luther Gray and Eleanor Louise Schoonmaker Gray on February 26, 1932. Virginia was the oldest of their three children. Their father was an avid motor cycle rider and trained as a welder to work on battleships. This skill took them to California. After two months in their new home their father died from injuries he had suffered in a motor cycling accident a year before. He was only 29 years old. His sudden death left behind three fatherless children, Virginia, age 8, sister Eleanor Nadine age 6 and brother Henry Luther (Buddy), age 4. Now alone away from the home they had always known in Oklahoma Eleanor was husbandless, penniless, jobless and with three small children and nowhere to turn. The ship yard crew Henry Luther worked with took up a collection to send the four of them back to Oklahoma. Virginia’s mom had to ask of her family in Stanford Texas to help in the care of her three children while she went to school to learn to be an administrative secretary, get a job and save up enough money to bring her children to live with her. During this time being separated from her siblings and mother Ginny baby sat for four little cousins all the while making straight A’s in school and playing saxophone in the school band. Eventually she would sell the saxophone for a sewing machine. There were some difficult years ahead after her family was reunited but she never let it take her focus off her life’s plan. The plan to SUCCESS! Virginia’s family portfolio consists of a Doctor of mathematics, CPA’s, nurses, teachers, highly successful entrepreneurs and many other business professionals. Unfortunately there are no literary genius’ that I am aware of so this is my vein attempt to paint a picture of the woman we all know and love. And LOVE in the present tense. Not past tense. Because our love is never ending. Please forgive any incorrect sentence structures or the misuse of adjectives. But this is as difficult as trying to put the genie back in the bottle. It is next to impossible. Her plan consisted of: 1. Never being financially dependent on anyone. 2. To find her soul mate, have a family and live happily ever after. 3. To find the woman inside herself that she was destined to become. The woman we have all come here today to celebrate stayed steadfast on the course to accomplish her goals. And they are as follows: 1. She met and married her soul mate, Ray Zumwalt and had two beautiful girls. Brenda who also found her soul mate in David Victor and they have a wonderful son John Ryan. Lee Ann who added another little girl to the mix, Elizabeth who in turn balanced out the gender gap with two beautiful great grandchildren, Sam and Travis. As fate would have it, Elizabeth has found her soul mate with Zack Henry. They are now engaged to be married and have an added treasure to the family with Zack’s son Eliot. 2. Virginia had a very successful career in Real Estate. Of which she remained active until her last days with us. 3. The goal of finding out who she was to become was ongoing and never ending. Unlike so many people Virginia constantly worked to become a better person. And in her quest her priorities did get renumbered and added to. She learned that nothing is possible without searching to know and let GOD in her life. After which the priorities of everything else found its place. VIRGINIA LEE ZUMWALT was and always shall be considered the matriarch of her family. Providing love, loyalty, commitment and guidance. Her love of God, family and country was infectious and uncompromising. And anyone who knew her was a better person for it. Our world is not a lesser place because she has gone on. It is a greater place because she was here. As her granddaughter, Elizabeth put it; she was “a beacon of love and life“. Preceding her in death is her daughter Lee Ann Darr. She is survived by her husband, Ray Dean Zumwalt, daughter Brenda Zumwalt Victor and her husband David, brother Henry “Buddy” Luther Gray and wife Rebecca and sister Eleanor Nadine Hardy. Two grandchildren John Ryan and Elizabeth Weaver. Two great grandchildren, Samuel David and Travis Lee. Nieces Kelly Doughty , Marjorie LaGesse and Teri Brown-Hudson. Nephews Robert Gray, Scott Gray. Service will be held Friday, June 19, 2015 at 12:30 PM in The Wildwood Chapel at Restland Funeral Home. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243.
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