Victor Durrington

Victor Durrington, 77, of Abilene passed away Thursday March 5th, 2009 at a local Hospital. A service is scheduled for 2:00 pm Monday March 9th at the Southern Hills Church of Christ auditorium. A visitation will be held on Sunday from 4-6 pm at Piersall Benton Funeral Home, 733 Butternut St. A second visitation will be held Tuesday from 6-8 pm at Montgomery Viets Funeral Home in Buffalo, MO with a graveside service at 10:00 am Wednesday March 11th at Riverview Swinney Cemetery.

Victor Durrington was born March 11, 1931 near Buffalo, Missouri to Jim Durrington and Edith Stafford Durrington. He attended public school in Buffalo until the family moved to California during the Great Depression where he worked in different jobs even as young as 11. Victor graduated the valedictorian of his Conoga Park High School class in Tarzana, California and went on to attend college at UCLA, Southwest Missouri State and the University of Missouri. He also held a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Missouri and an MBA from Wichita State University.

He held various jobs over the years, even teaching high school but ultimately worked as an aeronautical engineer for Boeing Aircraft for 30 years. He was also an extremely active real estate investor which continued after his retirement from Boeing and right up to the time of his death. Victor also served in the Air Force where he achieved the rank of Lt.

On the day he left the Air Force he was married to Wanda Lorene Massegee in Sherman, Texas. Their marriage of 18 years produced four children before cancer took Wanda in December of 1974. Though a single parent for more than a decade, Victor was greatly blessed to find the company of another wonderful woman, Colleen, to whom he was married in 1986 in Abilene, Texas.

Unknown to many, Victor established scholarships at over a dozen colleges around the nation for Christian education and was heavily involved in philanthropic efforts privately for causes such as children’s homes, preacher training schools and study programs regarding the dangers of the use of alcohol. Further, his interest in social justice led him to help countless other individuals who found themselves in need.

He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Colleen Durrington of Abilene, a son, Vearl Durrington of Aledo, Texas and his wife Lisa and their three children- Benjamin, Christina and Natalie, a son-in-law, Chris Dell, of Nixa, Missouri and his three children- Carissa, Harrison and Mallory, a son, Vance Durrington of Wilmington, NC- his wife Jeannie and their son Isaac, a son, Val Durrington, from Abilene- along with his wife Kendra and their three children, Connor, Michal Kate and Addie, a step-son, Eugene Henderson, of Plano, Texas-his wife Candy and their two children Jason and Jenna, and a step-daughter, Teresa Brittain, of Kerrville, Texas- and her husband Kerry and two children Aly and Rebekah. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Edith, his first wife Wanda and his daughter, Vicki. He is also survived by numerous loved ones and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Durrington Education Scholarship fund at Abilene Christian University c/o Development Operations PO Box 29132, Abilene,TX 79699. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.