Virginia Rose (Florer) Wallen was born Jan. 23, 1920, in Lincoln County, near Kendrick, Okla. After a long and fulfilling life she left this world on Dec. 25, 2014, at her home in Raymondville, Mo., surrounded by her family. Her age at her death was 94 years, 11 months and 2 days.
Born to Clarence Alvah and Flo Fern (Coombs) Florer, in the roaring 20s she grew up in rural Kendrick, Okla. The state was still in a stage of early development when the depression of 1929 hit. It was the era of the Kimes gang, Pretty Boy Floyd and Belle Starr. Farm life in Oklahoma was hard during this period of time. This coupled with living on the edge of the dust bowl led to a respect for hard work, wasting nothing and the value of family. In 1932 at the age of 12, Virginia survived a ruptured appendix. This was in a time before antibiotics. The doctor told her parents after the surgery “that she was in God’s hands.” Virginia believed this to be the case. She became a Christian in her early teens. At the age of 16 she graduated from Kendrick High School as valedictorian. In 1939, when she was old enough, she entered nurses training at Enid University Hospital in Enid, Okla. The hospital was associated with Phillips University. In 1941, she received her Registered Nurses degree. Following graduation, she worked as a private nurse for various families. She then went to work for the University Hospital. She became the head nurse in charge of the operating room. While a nurse at Enid, the United States entered the Second World War. One of the army-air corps bases during World War II was Vance Air Force base at Enid. One of the young M.P.’s stationed there was Quentin Wallen.
Virginia met Quentin while he was at the hospital for an arm he broke while playing basketball. Quentin was soon shipped to London for service in the European theater. In 1947 on Jan. 7, after the end of the war, Virginia Florer married Quentin Wallen. The couple moved to St. Louis, Mo., where both were employed. Virginia worked at Jewish Hospital. While in St. Louis, Regan Florer, the first of four children, was born. The couple moved to Rolla, Mo., while Quentin was in Barber College. Following Quentin’s apprenticeship, the couple moved to Raymondville. Quentin bought a barbershop there. While in Raymondville, three more children were born, Mark Quentin in 1954, Brett David in 1956 and Michelle Virginia in 1959.
Virginia, once in Raymondville, searched for a Christian Church to attend. At the behest of the Reverend Sadie Miles, she attended the Christian Church at Houston with Quentin and her children. Her husband and children were all baptized and became members as they grew up in the church. Virginia was a faithful worker in the church. She became a Sunday school teacher for kids, a vacation bible school teacher, a wife of a deacon and the elder of the church, and was active in the Jr. and Sr. missionaries groups. She attended Sunday school and church until failing health made it impossible to attend.
She was also supportive in her community. When a Cub Scout troop was formed in Raymondville, Virginia became one of the first den mothers. She gave shots to various individuals in the community both for wages and for free.
While her children were growing, Virginia had not been working outside the home. In 1965 she accepted a position for a summer job as a school nurse at Licking schools. This temporary job turned out to be 22 years of employment. She retired in May of 1987.
In retirement, she worked on other subjects that interested her. She joined the Houston Garden Club. She was vice president, treasurer and president for several years each. She loved flowers and flower arranging. Virginia won multiple times at the flower show at the Texas County Fair. The prize that garnered the most pride for her was the judge’s prize for the best original design, which she won several times. He yard at home was full of plants given to her by friends and family.
Virginia also was a health board member for several terms. She also took trips with the ZXY club of First Baptist Church in Houston. She was an avid collector of dishes. She had started with depression era glass, a remembrance of her childhood.
She loved her family. That love started with her uncles and aunts, grandparents and cousins and ended with her five great-grandchildren. In death she was preceded by her parents; her husband, Quentin;, and a grandson, Lance McDonald Wolfe.
She is survived by her daughter, Regan Lovekamp of Nixa, Mo.; her son, Mark Wallen of Raymondville; her son, Brett Wallen and wife, Debbie, of Gainesville, Fla.; her daughter, Michelle McCloud and husband, John, of Houston, Mo.; grandchildren, Douglass Lovekamp of Nixa, Mo., Gregg Lovekamp of Helena, Mont., Dirk Wallen and his wife, Kelly, of Gainesville, Fla., Caitlin Wallen of Gainesville, Fla., Heather (McCloud) Hacker and husband, John, of Union, Mo., Brooke (McCloud) Jackson of St. Louis, Mo., and Brittany McCloud of Houston, MO. Virginia is also survived by five great-grandchildren, Cooper Wallen and Sadie Wallen of Gainseville, Fla., Kyle Jackson of St. Louis, Mo., Sydney Hacker of Union, Mo., and Nina Lovekamp of Madison, Wisc. She is also survived by other friends and family.
The world she left was vastly different than the one she entered. She arrived on earth in a time of wagons and farmers still using teams of mules and horses. The airplane was still in its infancy. The phone was not in every home. She lived to see man walk on the moon and the era of the computer. While those of us who love her, are in sorrow at her passing, we cannot help but rejoice in celebration of her full life, well lived, a member of what Tom Brokaw named, “The Greatest Generation.”
She will lie in state from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, 2015, at Evans Funeral Home with graveside services beginning at 1 p.m. at Pine Lawn Cemetery with Don Elliott officiating. Services were under the direction of Evans Funeral Home.
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