October 18, 1928 - May 01, 2021
The memorial service for Virgie Ardell Russell Hern, 92, year-old Enid resident, will be 1:00PM Saturday, May 15, 2021 at Willow View United Methodist Church. Reverend Quinton Wray officiating. A private family burial will precede in Enid Cemetery under the direction of Henninger-Hinson Funeral Home.
Virgie was born October 18, 1928 to Archie and Ruth Davis Russell near Nashville, KS. and died Saturday, May 1, 2021 surrounded by her family. She attended Grove and Moffet grade schools and graduated from Norwich Kansas High School in 1946. Following graduation, she worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company as a telephone operator in Harper, Kansas. She married Earlston "Red" E. Hern on September 5, 1948. They lived in Argonia, KS, Alva, OK, Lake City, KS, Medford, OK, and Altus, OK. She was hired as a switchboard operator at Altus Air Force base and became the first civilian and woman supervisor in telephone operations at the base until her retirement, after 22 years, in 1988.
She and Red moved to Enid following her retirement in 1992. She cared for him at home during his illness and death in 1995.
She was active in the lives of her children at school and church, was a charter member of Busy Mom’s Club in Medford; the YouCanDoIt Toastmistress Club, ABWA, First Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, Meals on Wheels, and the Election Board in Altus. In Enid, she was a member of Willow View UMC, the Willow View UMW, the OKHCEA, the Owles Senior Adult Group, volunteered in the church office, and worked for the Jackson County Election Board as an inspector for many years.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband of 47 years; daughter, Katherine; sisters, Jackie and Velma and son-in-law, Richard.
She leaves daughters, Anita Roesler (George Clevenger); Debbie Mills (Joe); grandchildren, Bryan (Brooke); Amanda (Dan); Kacie; Clinton (Stacy); Kari (Barrett); Ramee; Amber (Rob); Nikki; Chellie (Nathan); sixteen great-grandchildren and five great-greatgrandchildren.
Memorials can be given through Henninger-Hinson Funeral Home to OMRF (Breast Cancer Division).
Obituaries are posted, in part, due to the generosity of The Commons.
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