Verna Louise Warwick

July 7, 1931 – October 2, 2026

Verna Louise Warwick (née Pickle), age 95, of Austin, Texas, joyously entered the magnificent presence of the Lord she loved with all her heart, soul, and mind. On October 2, 2026, she passed while under the attentive and loving care of her two daughters, who together diligently ensured that she was comfortable, cherished, and with companions in her final years.

Verna’s life was one lived in full, with her love and devotion to God as her constant guiding light. Verna was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Warwick; her parents, Robert and Ilia Pickle (née Conlisk); and her sister, Roberta Helms (née Pickle).

She is survived by her daughters, Christine “Christy” Duke (née Warwick) and Karen Hoffmeister (née Warwick); her sister, Verta Brown (née Pickle); her grandchildren, Rebekah Duke, Pamela (with husband James) Goussy (née Duke), and Michael (with wife Maureen) Duke; her great-grandchildren, Shannon Bracamonte, Jadon Goussy, Gavin Goussy, Liam Goussy, Naomi Goussy, and Corrina Goussy; three nieces and six nephews and their children and grandchildren.

Loved by all, she was the heart of the family, revered across the generations, and affable amid its varied temperaments. To be loved by her was to feel that you belonged, and in turn, she belonged to all. To her daughters, she was their home and their treasure, and in caring for her, they felt the deep honor and blessing of giving back the loving care she had given them over the years. Her nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren were all so dear to her and she to them. With every new addition to the extended family, her circle of love grew. They cherished "Aunt Verna," looking after her and spending time with her; she loved having them near.

Grandmother Verna lived long enough to welcome six great-grandchildren. She will be remembered by her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren as a talented woman but also as a maternal figure: a steady and loving presence in their lives who took a genuine interest in each of them.

Verna was born on July 7, 1931, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Robert and Ilia Pickle, the eldest of three daughters. She took to the role of big sister gracefully, growing up alongside her sisters, Verta Loyce, the middle child, and Roberta June, the youngest.

In 1934, while Verna was still a small child, her family left Wilburton, Oklahoma, for Austin, Texas, seeking improved conditions amid the severe economic hardship of the Great Depression. They found their first home in East Austin, where the family weathered two historic floods, one in 1935 and another in 1936. Verna attended the Metz School as a young girl and graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in the Class of 1949. She went on to continue her education at the University of Texas at Austin, earning a degree in art.

At the age of six, during a revival at East Austin Baptist Church, Verna received Christ as her Lord and Savior. Revivals were prevalent during that time in history, and her attendance shaped the rest of her life, as her commitment to Christ remained the center of everything she did.

As a young girl, Verna was known for her singing talent, chosen many times to sing solo for the community. This gift followed her into adulthood as she sang as a member of the church choir throughout life, most recently in the Exaltation Choir at Hyde Park Baptist Church, where she remained a member until her passing. Over the years she also belonged to Rosedale Baptist, Windsor Park Baptist, and Great Hills Baptist.

Before starting a family, Verna worked at Scarbrough's department store on Congress Avenue. It was at Rosedale Baptist Church that she met her future husband Charles, where they each attended services and social events. After a long courtship, when Charles proposed, Verna would not give him an answer until she received God’s blessing. Through prayer, God reassured her heart, and the marriage of Charles and Verna Warwick began on August 4, 1951.

Verna and Charles built the first house on their block in the then-new development of Crestview. At the time, Crestview was considered suburban, reaching the outskirts of Austin; today it is now central Austin. From her family's move to the city in the 1930s through the rest of her life in the same community, Verna witnessed the full expansion and transformation of Austin throughout the decades. As neighbors, Verna and Charles were well liked, exchanging gifts at Christmas with those next door and visiting from time to time. Being neighborly carried forward from childhood, when she would deliver to others baked goods from the family. While living in her childhood home in Rosedale, Verna delivered food from her family’s kitchen to the Wallis family, who lived in a homesteader's cabin from the 1800s that is now part of the historic site known as the Moore-Hancock Farmstead.

Verna and Charles shared more than 53 years of marriage until his death in 2005. As Charles was her one and only love, she remained a widow for the remaining decades of her life, wearing his wedding band on her big finger. Their marriage was founded on respect, friendship, deep love, and a mutually fervent faith in God. Theirs was a union of two souls truly equally yoked. As a couple, the Warwicks served in the church together, went on mission trips, traveled to Israel and Europe, raised children, and welcomed three grandchildren together. Verna and Charles also opened their home to foreign exchange students.

A devoted Christian who studied the Bible from cover to cover, Verna loved her husband and children through the nurturing and guidance she received from God's word. She was a faithful and loyal wife to Charles. She shepherded her daughters, Christy and Karen, along the righteous path, instilling in them respect for others, regard for authority, and obedience. Leading by example, she encouraged them to live lives that please God. She passed on her love of music to her daughters: Christy’s talent led to becoming a trained vocalist, and Karen discovered a gift for playing the clarinet.

Verna's life was devoted first to her faith in God, then to her family, and then to her calling to teach. Gifted by God with a talent for leadership and compassion, she assumed the role of mentor naturally. She taught four-year-olds in Sunday school, taught art classes at the community center, and acclimated international visitors to American customs and culture. While she spent many years at home caring for her children, she also attended classes at the University of Texas at Austin working toward her art degree but also taught first grade at Austin Christian Academy, where she briefly served as principal.

Verna and Charles also immersed themselves in the beauty of the life God provides. They raised a variety of thriving orchids in their greenhouse, winning awards from Heart of Texas Orchid Society competitions, and they maintained a lush and resplendent backyard garden. One of their favorite pastimes as a couple was to drive down Shoal Creek and admire the gracious and sprawling lawns that lined the boulevard.

As she often led her fellow choir members in prayer or called others to pray, the members of the Exaltation Choir began referring to her as "Pastor Verna." By her congregation, Verna will be remembered as a woman of wisdom, grace, and humor, with a radiant smile, a deep understanding of scripture, and a gentle spirit that carried a warm presence into every room.

She gave many years of dedicated service to Bible Study Fellowship, Community Bible Study, Friendship International, and the Austin Baptist Association, serving in mission work as the Lord sent them to places like Mexico and Brazil.

Verna had a lifelong interest in and appreciation for beautiful creations, mastering skills such as glass mosaic, jewelry, floral arrangements, painting, various needlework, pottery, quilling, and filigree. Many members of her family possess at least one of her original paintings. She was also interested in genealogy and helped maintain family records. Her passion for creative expression extended to volumes of poetry writing.

Her name, Verna, translates to "spring-like," and in her golden years she grew to embody this meaning, setting down life's weight and picking up a girlish disposition, making her final chapter a vernal one. Her family reveled in her newfound playfulness, cuddling stuffed animals, speaking sweetly to her grandpup Lily, and meeting each new day with a joyful and youthful spirit.

Her most memorable saying was simply, "I'm blessed." Her favorite hymn was "Blessed Assurance," and her favorite scripture was 2 Timothy 4 : 7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

Visitation will be held on Monday, October 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Cook-Walden, 6100 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, Texas. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, October 13, at 10 a.m., with Scott Bersaglia and Michael Slaughter officiating, at Hyde Park Baptist Church, 3901 Speedway, Austin, Texas. Following the service, burial will be at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery, 14501 N. I-35, Pflugerville, Texas.