Virginia Ann "Ginger" (Melton) Hurst

VIRGINIA M. HURST STAUNTON, VA….  Virginia Ann “Ginger” (Melton) Hurst of 110 Oak Terrace died Sunday, September 10, 2017 at King’s Daughters Rehab.  She was born April 24, 1943, in Valdosta, GA, daughter of the late Don Laws Melton and Ovelia (Southall) Melton. A devoted mother, she is survived by a son, Darrell Chadwick Hurst and a daughter, Holly Elizabeth Hurst.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Don Laws Melton, Jr. and her children’s father and friend for 50 years, Darrell Wayne Hurst.  Her family moved to Greenville, NC in 1948 where she spent her childhood years.  After attending Meredith College in Raleigh, NC, she graduated from East Carolina College with a bachelor’s degree in French and English and a master’s degree in Education.  In 1964, she married and moved to Staunton, where she raised her son and daughter while her husband taught at Staunton Military Academy for five years and at Blue Ridge Community College for 45 years.  During this time, she taught English at R.E. Lee High School, Adult Basic Education (GED), and English at Blue Ridge Community College for 20 years.  Following her teaching career, she held a Real Estate license for 27 years before her retirement in 2013.  Additionally, she and her husband owned and operated a retail clothing business for 7 years with locations in Verona, Waynesboro and Harrisonburg.  She was an active parishioner at Trinity Episcopal Church for 35 years.  In 2000, she was confirmed into the Catholic faith at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.  Here she continued her devotion to the church in many ways, especially the Haiti Outreach program by sponsoring children at the school, supporting Bob’s Clinic and building Saint Anthony’s House for the poor.  She also served many years on the Building and Ground Committee and the Altar Guild. She committed herself to the service of others through her involvement in many community organizations: the Kiwanis Club of Staunton, CATS (Coordinated Area Transportation Service), Historic Staunton Foundation, Woodrow Wilson Birthplace, Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton Fine Arts Association, Valley Mission, Salvation Army, and Augusta Regional Free Clinic.  But her person assistant to uneducated and disabled adults to obtain housing, financial aid and medical care from government agencies was the most rewarding use of her “time and talents.”  A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10 a.m. Wednesday, September 27, 2017 in St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church by Father Joseph Wamala.  Memorials may be made to the Valley Mission, 1513 West Beverley Street, Staunton, Virginia, 24401 or Augusta Regional Clinic, P.O. Box 153, Fishersville, VA 22939. Henry Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.