Virginia Ruth Vinson

Virginia Ruth Holt Vinson, died on August 24, 2019, in Abilene, Texas. Descendant of two pioneer families of Abilene and the surrounding area, Virginia was born to Gladys Waggoner Holt and Clarence T. Holt at the home of her grandparents, Holland and Cleora Morriset Holt, on February 14, 1931. A private graveside ceremony will be held on Sunday, August 25, 2019, at the Bethel Cemetery in Funston, Texas, with a visitation and celebration of her life on Tuesday, August 27, 2019, from 5:30-7:30 at the Hamby Church of Christ in Hamby, Texas.

Virginia lived most of her life in Abilene or the Abilene area with a few years spent in Granbury and San Angelo. She graduated from high school in 1948 and on September 28, 1948, she married the love of her life, W.J. "Dub" Vinson, Jr. By 1953, they had added two sons and a daughter to the family. Virginia was a stay at home mom and was soon a room mother, den mother, team mother and, on many occasions, the fill-in practice coach for the Lone Star Little League Orioles farm team, teaching several young boys the finer points of catching a baseball. She was a very active participant in PTA and all of her children's sporting activities. As her children became parents, she became the doting grandmother, Big Mom, and continued to sit in the bleachers cheering on her kids. Many of these activities were shared with two other couples, Jack and Doris Clarke and Jack and Helen Chaney. The couples were best friends for many years and shared many trips, sporting events and Friday night 42 games together. They held the same season tickets together for AHS Eagle Football for many years.

After a short stay in San Angelo, Big Mom and Big Dad came home to work together at Abilene Christian Schools. There they added hundreds of new "grandchildren" as they became substitute grandparents for the children at ACS. It was a happy time for them both.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her beloved son, Rick. She is survived by her children, Ronnie and Laura Vinson of Hamby and Barbara Vinson Fahrlender of Abilene; her grandchildren, Kim (Vinson) and Brian Lilly of Bedford, Jackie (Vinson) and John Powell of Abilene, Sam and Lucy (Braaten) Vinson of Abilene, Erin Fahrlender of Abilene and Matt Fahrlender of Abilene; her great-grandchildren, Allison Lilly, Jordan Lilly, Luke Powell, Kate Powell, Gwen Powell, Palmer Vinson, Holt Vinson and Margot Vinson. She is also survived by her sister, Betty Jo Burton of San Angelo, her Aunt Mary Ballew of Waco, 5 cousins, and 27 nieces and nephews. Additionally, she is survived by her "extra" kids, Kaye Vinson, Clemente and Martha Cortinez and their children, by her dear friend, Helen Chaney, and by hundreds of kids she loved so much who knew her as Big Mom.