Virginia Lemons Hatley's Obituary
Virginia Lemons Hatley, 98, of Albemarle, passed away on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at Trinity Place in Albemarle. A private family graveside service will be held for Mrs. Hatley. A memorial service for the public will be held at a later date.
Virginia Hatley was born on March, 20, 1922, in Albemarle, North Carolina, to Jesse Lee Lemons and Mollie Estelle Cole Lemons. She had a twin brother, Virgil (deceased), in addition to two sisters, Dorothy Cotton and Lucille Archer, (both deceased); and a younger brother, Gene Lemons, who survives and lives in Shreveport, LA.
In 1940 she married Dolan Leo Hatley. They had three daughters, Barbara Miller (Gene); Judy Miller (C.B. Burnie); and Suzette (Suzie) Martin (Steve). Virginia was blessed with eight grandchildren: Susan Eggert (Sebastian), Matthew Miller (Andrea), Andrea Griffin (Horace), Jennifer Kimrey (Jamie), Mandy Cox (Curtis), Leslie Mullinix (Brett Burey), Gina Blalock (Steve), Shelly Eudy (Stephen); and seventeen great grandchildren: Katy, Alexander, Max, Spencer, Parker, Greyson, Ross, Brinn, Landon, Will, Macy, Owen, Sasha, Jacob, Zach, Cleo, and Gage. She counted her family as her greatest treasure.
As a young woman she began working in local textile plants while continuing to excel at being a homemaker.
In her later years, she began new hobbies: painting in oils, acrylics, and pastels; competing in annual county fair contests in flower arranging, sewing, art, knitting, crocheting, and baking.
Diagnosed with breast cancer as young woman, she began working as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. She visited newly diagnosed patients in the hospital, giving them valuable information and the hope they needed as they began their recovery. Virginia would often follow-up with patients in their homes as needed.
Virginia enjoyed being busy. As a senior woman, she joined the Stanly County Senior Center where she attended classes, played games and served as a volunteer.
She always enjoyed church and was a long time member of Prospect Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir into her 90?s. Virginia was also a member of the ?Singing Americans? for many years, traveling to Washington, DC, and Disney World, Orlando, FL, to perform.
Virginia loved to travel and in addition to travels throughout the United States and Canada, she traveled to such faraway places as Israel, Egypt, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Germany. To have known Virginia was to have known a truly amazing woman with a zest for life!
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society at https://donate3.cancer.org/
Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Hatley family.
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