Violet (Owen) Weaver

Violet Owen Weaver, age 100 of Mouth of Wilson, VA died Thursday, September 17, 2020 at her daughters home. Mrs. Weaver was born April 18, 1920, in Mouth of Wilson, VA, to Grover and Cecilia Reedy Owen. She was the fourth out of eight children including: Earl Owen, Lawrence Owen, Ruby Kilby, Stella Testerman, Blake Owen, Gilbert Owen, and Alta Richardson. At age seventeen she married Wilborn Weaver and they had seven children: Edna Mae Ham Sawyer, Kenneth Weaver, Agnes Wyatt, Dot Sturgill, Betty Lambert, Christine Walls Wyatt and Allen Weaver. They were married forty-four years before Wilborn died in 1981.

Granny has out lived four brothers (Earl, Lawrence, Blake and Gilbert), three sisters (Ruby, Alta and Stella), her husband, one son (Kenneth), three grandchildren (Joseph Ham, Betty Wyatt and Gary Walls), one step-grandson (Van Sturgill), five sons-in-law (Garland Ham, Alan Sawyer, Vance Wyatt, Dallas Sturgill, and Michael Wyatt) and one daughter-in-law (Jennifer Smith Weaver).

Funeral services will be held Sunday, September 20, 2020 at 2:00 pm at Wolf Knob Baptist Church by Rev. Rick Cornejo, Rev. Lloyd Day and Rev. Mitchell Mash. Burial will follow in the Owen Family Cemetery.  The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 pm Saturday, September 19th at Ashelawn Memorial Chapel.

Granny has fifteen remaining grandchildren: Bobbi Ham Blevins, Gaye Ham Miller, Regenia Ham (Armstrong), Ray and JC Sawyer, Eric Weaver, Angela Wyatt Wolfe, Paul Wyatt, Charles and Rodney Sturgill, James and Justin Lambert, Chasity Walls, and Gracie and Moriah Weaver.  She has six remaining step-grandchildren: Linda Sturgill Willard, Lavonne Sturgill Gentry, Michelle and Randall Wyatt, and Martha Wyatt Mahaffey. She has twenty-seven great grandchildren: Allyson Blevins Loggins, Billy Miller, Tiffany Sawyer Howell, Cierra Sawyer Howell, Nathan Sawyer, Jacob and Courtney Sawyer, Bailee, Madison and Lindsey Weaver, Jamie Mobley, Katelynn Wyatt, Chelsey Sturgill Sexton, India Sturgill Souther and Greyson Sturgill, Josh Johnson, Karter, Ayden and Charlotte Lambert, Raven Beck, Emily Hornaday, Coy Walls, Savannah, Phoenix and Katherine Weaver, Andrew Schultz and Adeline Buchko. She has sixteen step-great grandchildren: Randall Miller, Moriah Armstrong Specht, Sarah Armstrong Gibson, Daniel Armstrong, Logan Jewel, Morgan White, James and Celest Willard, Paul Gentry, Justin Wyatt, Cory and Mason Carpenter, Marcus and Nathan Wyatt, Anna Wyatt Bunton and Austin Mahaffey.  She has ten great, great grandchildren: Destinee, Jayden and Tyler Loggins, Alex, Hunter and Brayden Miller, Natalie Howell, Mia and McKenzie Howell and Jordan Hillson. She has ten step-great, great grandchildren: Brianna, Bethany and Brooklyn Miller, Seanna and Tanner Specht, Keller Armstrong, Breckon White, Morgan and Drake Willard and Ashley Wyatt.

Granny attended Wolfe Knob School through seventh grade, which was the highest grade offered. Her favorite memory growing up was singing while swinging in a tree swing. She often made up her own songs and would sing to the top of her lungs. Another fond memory was playing “fireball” with her siblings. They cut scrap material in strips, rolled the strips into balls and soaked them in kerosene. When it snowed they lit the balls and then passed the burning balls around in a circle (kind of like “hot potato”). If someone dropped the fireball the snow would keep the dead grass from catching on fire. Granny also enjoyed riding on the manually operated homemade Ferris wheel her dad built. On Sundays all the neighborhood kids would come to their house so they could all take turns riding. Sometimes her brothers would buy pounds of sugar and Granny and her sisters would make big batches of chocolate candy for the family. Growing up Granny helped her Dad in his dry goods store where they often traded goods for goods instead of goods for money. This is when she learned that she could lift a hundred pounds at a time. She also helped her Mom with household chores including spring cleaning, which meant taking everything inside the house outside, cleaning the floors, walls, all the furniture and miscellaneous items and then putting everything back inside.

Granny was an avid quilter, a homemaker and worked at Sprague Electric on and off for sixteen years. She also enjoyed volunteering many years at the Grayson Highlands Fall Festival (making molasses), the Maple Festival and the Ramp Festival. Granny has never met a stranger and always made anyone that came into her home feel like part of her family.

She is a member of Wolfe Knob Baptist Church and has been since she was a charter member in 1935 joining during the church’s fist revival. Granny drove until she was in her early nineties. She lived alone and raised her own vegetable and flower gardens until she was 95. Granny still loves singing hymns, some from memory and some from her song book collection. To pass time she read fiction books and does word search puzzles.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to, Owen Family Cemetery, c/o Christine Wyatt, 660 Wolf Knob Road, Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363.

The family is meeting at the home of her daughter Dot Sturgill at 1344 NC Hwy 88 West in West Jefferson.