Born at the family home in Chewelah, WA on December 16th,1934 to Georgia and Victor Morris, she was the fifth of seven children. She had many fond memories of growing up in a small town and playing on the banks of Chewelah Creek. She graduated from Jenkins High School, Chewelah, WA in 1952. In June 1953, she married Albert Koziuk, also of Chewelah, WA. They had five children together before parting ways in 1972. In March 1976 she married William Churchill, her beloved partner in life’s many adventures until his death in June 2011.
Velma graduated from Eastern Washington College in Cheney, WA in 1959 with a degree in education. She would later go on to acquire her Master’s Degree in Education in 1974 from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA. Velma spent most of her career working for the Spokane Public School District, retiring in 1993 after 32 years. Most of this time was spent as a library teacher and Velma believed deeply in the benefits of reading at every age. Velma served as the Instructional Television Coordinator for Spokane Pubic Schools and the public television station KSPS, developing and producing educational materials and programing for KSPS, Spokane Public Television.
Even before her retirement, Velma loved to travel and her adventures took her across the country and around the globe. The short list of destinations included Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, South America, Israel, Central Europe and the United Kingdom. Velma and Bill took numerous American road trips as members of the Lilac City Good Sam RV Club. In addition to travel, she enjoyed amateur photography, dancing, and gardening.
In her retirement, Velma invested considerable time in volunteer activities. She was active in her church and served as a librarian and deaconess at Millwood Community Presbyterian Church for several years. She was an active member and local committee chairperson for Washington State School Retirees Association and the Spokane Area Retired Educators Association. She also volunteered for State Health Insurance Benefit Advisors (SHIBA) for more than 16 years.
She is survived by her four children, Paul, Diane, Sonya and Glen; two step-daughters – Kim and Marcie. She had 20 grandchildren, and 29 great grandchildren at the time of her passing. She is preceded in death by her daughter Vicki; her husbands Albert and William; her sister Anna Mae; her brothers – Arthur, Hollis and Charles; and step-daughter Lori.
Donations in memory of Velma may be made to the American Diabetes Association or a charity of your choice.
Funeral services will be held February 4, 2023 at 1pm at Millwood Community Presbyterian Church; 3223 N. Marguerite Road; Spokane Valley, WA 99212.
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