Virginia Marshall

Virginia Ruth Nose Marshall passed away on October 13, 2024, at the age of 103 in her home outside Georgetown, TX. Virginia was born in Fairmont, West Virginia on May 30, 1921. She was the oldest of six children of William Francis Nose and Esta Jane Brown Nose. During her lifetime, she experienced dramatic changes sweeping across America as she was introduced to indoor plumbing, automobiles, electricity, radio, telephones, air conditioning, TV, airlines, microwave ovens and TV dinners, computers, the internet and mobile phones. Virgina lived an eventful, long and happy life and will be missed by her family.

She graduated from East Fairmont High School in May 1939 and attended Fairmont State College after high school. After the outbreak of World War II, she went to work in a defense plant for a year and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1942. She served three years in the US Navy Waves, a bold move for women at that time in the U.S. Her training included boot training in the first-ever class of Waves at Cedar Falls, Iowa and the first class of Yeoman School in Milledgeville, GA. Virginia transferred to Washington, D.C. and assigned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel where she spent 2½ years. When the war ended with Japan in August 1945, she transferred to Williamsburg, VA to the personnel office at the U.S. Navy Chaplain 's School at William and Mary College until discharged in November 1945. During her duty years in Washington, D.C., she attended night-school classes at George Washington University.

In November 1945 she returned to Fairmont, WV where she worked for the WV Dept. of Unemployment Compensation until September 1947. During this time, she completed a two year course in College Accounting at West Virginia Business College in their night-school program. In the Fall of 1947 she moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where her sister Florence had landed. For the next 37 years she was employed in accounting positions in Corpus Christi, primarily in the oil industry.

In Corpus Christi she met a World War II Air Corps veteran, Clyde Leslie (Les) Marshall, and they were married in the chapel of First Presbyterian Church in Corpus Christi on December 31, 1947. Les was a P-47 pilot in the 9th Air Force during the war, and flew his new bride to Niagara Falls on their honeymoon in his newly acquired airplane, a Culver Cadet. In 1947 that was a daring adventure, and they talked about it for years afterward. Les kept flying regularly and took Virginia on plane rides until his death at 89.

Virginia grew up in a Methodist family but switched to Presbyterian at the age of sixteen in Fairmont, later joining First Presbyterian Church in Corpus Christi, TX and eventually becoming a charter member of Jackson Woods Presbyterian Church in Corpus Christi. After retiring and moving to Lampasas, TX she transferred to First Presbyterian Church of Lampasas where she served as a Deacon.

Virginia became interested in growing roses in 1948 and became a member of the American Rose Society in 1953. She became a Consulting Rosarian in 1960, an Accredited Rose Judge in 1963, a Life Judge in 1978 judging rose competitions all over South and Central Texas until 1996, then becoming a Life Consulting Rosarian. She belonged to the Corpus Christi Rose Society for 27 years and served as President three terms. She transferred to the Austin Rose Society after moving from Corpus Christi in 1984. She belonged to the Bud and Blossom Garden Club in Lampasas for 12 years and served as president for three years. She has been a member of the Georgetown Garden Club since 2000. She maintained an English Rose Garden wherever she lived - Corpus Christi, Lampasas County and the Georgetown area. She competed vigorously in rose show competitions throughout the years and won numerous awards for her rose displays and arrangements. In addition to roses, she has also grown Iris and Orchids, and maintained a greenhouse at every residence since the 1950’s.

In the 1960's Virginia became interested in genealogy and has pursued identifying her own and husband's ancestors, some of whom were part of the original 13 American colonies. She and Les had many trips to cemeteries, courthouses and libraries in the Eastern U.S. searching records for ancestry connections, and some of the finds have been the highlight of their vacations. She became a computer researcher and has spent many hours reading old census records and searching available sources on the internet.

She was preceded in death by her parents William and Esta Nose of Fairmont, WV, her husband Les Marshall of Georgetown, TX, her sisters Florence Fife of Shawnee, OK and Helen Wood of Fairmont, WV, her brother William F. (Bud) Nose of Coraopolis, PA and her granddaughter Sara Marshall of Austin, TX. Virgina is survived by her only son Marc and his wife Sheri of Georgetown, TX, her granddaughter, Jillian Szalay (and husband David) of Georgetown, TX and three amazing great grandchildren Emmet, Wyatt and Weston Szalay. Virginia is also survived by sisters, Laura Jean Swindell of Suffolk, Va., and by brother Charles Nose of Patterson, GA. Many cousins, nieces and nephews and their offspring are scattered across the country.

A remembrance gathering will be held in the coming weeks at her home in Georgetown, TX in the aviation community of Cross Country Estates where she has lived for ~24 years. Friends and relatives will be notified of the date once it is set.

Family graveside services will be held at Concord Cemetery near Zavalla, TX in Angelina County where Virginia will be buried next to her husband Les. Generations of the Marshall family born as early as 1844 are buried there.

No flowers please, instead do an unexpected act of kindness for a family member, friend or stranger that benefits the living. Vaya con Dios.

An informal remembrance open-house will be held on Saturday, December 14,2024, 10:00 AM - Noon at her home in Georgetown, TX in the aviation community of Cross Country Estates where she has lived for ~24 years.