Avis de décès de Virginia-May Wynn - Nécrologie - MesAieux.com

Hi, I am her son. I'd like you to meet my Mom, Virginia May Langston Koch Herr Wynn. Let me tell you about her.She was born May 26, 1917, in Minneapolis, Minn. She started working in 1935 as a stenographer and switchboard operator for a law firm in Washington, D.C., living with her parents in Virginia. Her pay was a grand total of $18 per week.She wanted to get a Civil Service position, because it paid more. But each state had a quota as to how many could work in Washington, D.C., and Virginia's quota was overflowing. But Idaho's quota was not filled. So she moved to Sand Point, Idaho, and lived with family for a year to establish residency. She got the job with the government, with the Army Air Corps. Starting salary was $1460 per year. This was more than she had ever received. She was in the stenographic pool and wanted to get into Gen. Henry Harley Arnold's (called Gen. "Hap" Arnold by the press) office. The call was made if anyone knew how to operate the teletypewriter. She said she did, took a day off, quickly learned it, and was chosen to operate the first teletypewriter in the Office of the Chief Army Air Corps (OCAC). Then, when one of his three secretaries left, she moved in. Her pay jumped to $1620 per year. She met the newspaperman, Drew Pearson, cheering with the rest of the office when General Arnold physically threw him out! Additionally, she got to know all the important Air Corps officers: Arnold, Eaker, Spaatz, Luke Smith, Clarence Tinker, and Curtis Le May and she played a leading role in picking out what would become the Air Force Song. In 1938/39, she met Charles Lindberg, who had just returned from visiting Germany and who realized Germany's buildup was more than to invade her neighbors. Mom was assigned to him as his secretary. Unfortunately, his reports were dismissed by the Joint Chiefs-but later found to be true. Then she moved to MacDill Air Force Base as Gen. Tinker's secretary when MacDill was still being cleared and her salary now $1800 per year. While at MacDill, she met her future husband, my Dad, William Jonas Koch, "Bill", marrying him, September 1941, in Panama. With the advent of War, December 1941, all the wives were sent to the States and she went to work for the OCAC and her salary now $2,000 per year. While there, she met Jimmie Doolittle, Clair Chennault, Gen. Le May, the actor and future Gen., Jimmy Stewart, and the actor Clark Gable. After WWII, my folks lived in South America for 20 years. Dad was a Petroleum Engineer with Standard Oil in Peru and Colombia, managed coffee plantations in Paraguay and Brazil, while Mom managed the house, was his secretary, and taught me the first five grades and my brother Junior High through the Calvert Correspondence Courses. Returning to the States, Dad returned to Standard Oil, and we moved to Libya, North Africa in 1962. We traveled throughout Europe each summer for the next four years, until we had to return in 1966. Dad died shortly thereafter, April 16, 1967. About 1969, Mom met and married my first step-father, Dr. Paul Herr ("Doc"). Unfortunately, five to six years later, he died of cancer too, and like Dad, she nursed Doc until about a week before he died. As he was dying, Doc promised he would fix a clock in her car that would not work and the dealer could not fix. The day he died, Mom completed the hospital paperwork, got in the car, rested her head on the steering wheel, and looked up. From then on, the clock kept perfect time!Then Mom was contracted by a dear old friend, Jacob Augustus Wynn. Both Mom and Dad knew him while in Panama. Unfortunately, Jake's wife had just died. Well, one thing led to another, and in 1977, they tied the knot! Jake has really been awesome, taking care of the family, and being a second Dad to me. They have been married 36 good years. Mom told me she proposed to Jake and Jake says she assumed they'd marry. Somewhere in-between, like Super Glue, they have stuck together! They were blessed; they had trips, good friends, a wonderful Church, and the "joie de vivre!"- Love of Life!Mom's parents were White L. Langston and the former Helen Cunningham. She had one brother, Warren Lee Langston; Mom had two sons by William J. Koch, Bill and me. I am the only one still alive. As I prepared this, going through her diaries and papers, I discovered a new Mom! She was something of a Pixie with a wonderful smile, sense of humor, and agile mind-finding solutions, while always "making nice!" She had strong political views. She wisely chose the subjects she would fight for, opting to work in the background to fulfill her goals. Jake told me she was a very private person. She wrote many times to the Daily News. She was writing a book, "Paraguay and I," with over 200 pages handwritten. Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes replied to her letters. Bill Campbell and Patrick McDermott of the Daily News wrote about her. She fully supported her church, First Methodist of Niceville and Sharing and Caring. A word to all the professionals at the Manor at Bluewater, the Twin Cities ICU, and those working the nurses' station around her room: you were, are, and forever will be God's hands, voice, touch and love. Thank you for taking such wonderful care of her!Her memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Nov. 8, 2013, at the First Methodist, 214 Partin Drive, Niceville, Fla. She is survived by her husband, Jake Wynn; her step-daughter, Shary Williams; her step-grandchildren, Jason Williams and Brandi Whitaker and their families; her grandchildren, Bill and Robert Koch and their families; her 11 great-grandchildren; and me, Dave Koch, her son. About a week before she died, she said she saw her parents. About two days before, she said she saw seven people in her room that we did not and called out, "Mom, take me home!" God was lovingly preparing her to go home! And Jake told me that the last works she told him were, "I love you!"About the day before she died, I told her as I left for home, "I love you, Mom!" as I always did. And as always, now, mouthing the words, she replied, "I love you, too!"Mom, we love you! Good-bye for now. Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at www.Twincitiescremationsfunerals.com.