Virginia French

A graveside service for Virginia V. French will be held at the South Park Cemetery in Roswell, New Mexico, on Saturday, September 26, at 11:00 a.m. Elana Levy, Pastoral Care of First Presbyterian Church Roswell will officiate. A memorial service is scheduled for Monday, September 28, at 4:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Odessa, Texas. The Reverend Cheryl Kincaid will conduct the service in Odessa. Virginia passed away on Sunday, September 20, 2015.

Virginia Vera Britton French was born on March 31, 1919, in Meade County, South Dakota. She was the daughter of Alma E. Harris Britton and Henry William Britton. After surviving the Spanish flu pandemic as an infant, Virginia and her family moved from South Dakota to a farm near West Plains, Missouri. Her father was a farmer and her mother taught school in a one-room schoolhouse. They attended church at the Union Grove Church. The children went to high school at the School of the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri. Virginia attended nurses training at Springfield Baptist Hospital in Springfield, Missouri. After graduating in 1941, Virginia worked at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. When World War II broke out, Barnes Hospital formed the 21st General Hospital. During the course of the war, the hospital had between 3000 and 4000 beds. Along with her co-workers, Virginia enlisted in the US Army and worked in the 21st General Hospital as it followed the course of WWII in Europe. Her time as an army nurse took her to Birmingham, England; Oran, Algeria in North Africa; Naples, Italy; Marseilles and Mirecourt, France. By the end of the war, the 21st General Hospital had treated 65,503 patients.

At the end of the war, Virginia returned to Missouri. Before attending college on the GI Bill, she worked during the polio epidemic in the Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a teaching degree.
While at the university Virginia met Van L. French in freshman English class. They were married in 1947. They moved to Roswell, NM in 1949 where they spent their careers as teachers. Although they were many miles from Missouri, several veterans and graduates of the University of Missouri were in the school system. They were active in the community through their teaching careers and the First Presbyterian Church. In 1979, Virginia and Van retired from teaching and enjoyed many years traveling and camping with their friends.

As a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Roswell, Virginia served as a Deacon and as Moderator of the Presbyterian Women. She also worked for many years in the church library with Jessie McCullough. At the church in Odessa, she was a member of the Fellowship Class and the Presbyterian Women.

Virginia was preceded in death by Van, her husband of 53 years, her parents Alma and Henry Britton; her brothers Lawrence, Cedric, and Bruce; and her sister Elinor Pope. She is survived by her son Glen Alan French and his wife Karol of Marble Falls, TX and daughter Mary French Neff and her husband Rickey of Odessa, TX. Many beloved nieces and nephews also survive Virginia.

The family thanks the members of the First Presbyterian Church of Odessa, caregivers Debra Ritchey and Mary Early; Dr. Anne Acreman; and the staff of the Madison Medical Resort.

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Cemetery