Virginia Buford

Kerrville Virginia Buford, 86, joined among all other angels her husband of 66 years Richie, her mother Granny to those who knew her who protected her in extreme diversity during the Depression, her youngest grandson Darrell who was taken at age 28 and her soninlaw George McKinzey who died January 13.

Virginia was known by her very special family at The Wilderness retirement park as the quothuggerquot who never met a stranger. She and Richie moved there from Hobbs, New Mexico, in 1991 after traveling for a while in a motor home. After establishing their new home to their satisfaction with lots of DYI projects, they started to travel again and missed very few states in their adventures. They were considered the couple whose marriage was made in heaven and held steadly to each other in good times and bad from Los Angeles where they were married in 1942. They never passed each other without a loving or teasing pat.

Virginia and Richie reared three daughters who worshiped them, JoAnn McKinzey of Kerrville, Barbara Grayson and her husband Mike of Atlanta, Georgia, and Janet McSpadden and her husband Robert of Houston. She is also survived by five grandchildren and their spouses and eleven greatgrandchilren whose greatest joy was feeding deer and riding their Granddad and Grandmas golf cart: Brian and Cindy Grayson and children Nathan and Amanda of Sugar Land David and Lisa Sapper and their children Sergei and Devyn of Carmel, Indiana Erica and David Simpson and their children Joel, Alex, and Benjamin of Silver Spring, Maryland JoLynn and Dean Wilkinson and children Katlynn, Patrick, and Heather of Kennasaw, Georgia and LeeAnn and Neil Ridgley and son Preston of Houston and Virginias neighbor Tom Choate, her friend and helper to her last day. She is also survived by Phil DeCaro of California who is now the last of four couples who began marriage and families together and all were known by their children as aunts and uncles. He never missed a Saturday call to her and Richie and then her, even last Saturday.

A memorial service will be hosted by friends at the Wilderness in the clubhouse Saturday at 11:00 AM. The Wilderness is located on the Fredricksburg Highway on right exit Paseo Encinal.

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