A Celebration of Viola’s Life will be held at Forest Lawn Funeral Home on Saturday, March 31st at 11:00 a.m., officiated by Reverend Ruby Nelson, former pastor of St. Paul’s Methodist Church, Viola’s long time church home in Beaumont, Texas. A Gathering with the family will take place one hour prior. Burial will immediately follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Pallbearers for the service will consist of family and friends.
Viola began her life as a beloved daughter on July 29, 1922. She was born in Beasley, Texas, to loving parents Sam and Tilly Ganske. The Ganske’s were cotton farmers in the south central area of Texas. Viola was fond of saying as a girl in her teens she could pick cotton in the morning and be ready to turn heads at a town dance by nightfall. After graduating from high school in 1940 she turned the head of one boy she decided to keep, Ernest C. Koenig. She and Ernest were married December 24, 1941. By 1943, they welcomed the first of their two sons, Wayne, and four years later in 1947, Gary. Viola ran a tight ship as a housewife and mother keeping all her boys in line and giving them a home filled with love. She faced each day in full makeup, hair styled, and clothed to meet company or anyone who came knocking at her door. And every afternoon around 3 pm, they came knocking. Viola was part of a regular afternoon coffee klatch with her longtime neighborhood friends. After her boys were grown and gone she spent her free time volunteering at her church, working as a precinct voting official, and later working part time at Lamar University posting grades. Viola was not a woman to sit still for long. She could put a meal on the table for unexpected company in no time flat. In addition, Viola always had a beloved cat to care for and loved working with flowering plants which grew in perfusion around her home. In 2012, Viola suffered a stroke and afterwards required 24 hour care. She never lost her sense of humor, and as her extended family at Silsbee Oaks Health Care can attest, she was a “pistol” and always had a quick comeback for any comment. They would also say she was a sweet woman who was a joy to care for. Our family is forever grateful to Anna Tanton and her staff for the love and care provided to Viola during her time with them. Viola Ruth Koenig passed on at age 95 to be with the Lord. She lived a full and bountiful life always beloved by family and friends.
Viola was preceded in death by husband, Ernest, who left us in 1992. She is survived by sons, Wayne and Gary; grandsons Corey and Scott; granddaughters Kelli and Shellye; great grandchildren Savannah, Erin, Emma, Anthony, and Kelsey; daughter-in-laws, Cheryl, Janell, and Shirley; and son-in-law, John.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18