Born Velma Lavern Etheridge, November 19, 1921 in Poplar Bluff Missouri to Mathew and Nora Edith Etheridge
Velma lived on the 80 acre family farm just outside of Poplar Bluff until she was 9 years old. The depression hit and the family moved to Crystal City/Festus where Matthew began working at PPG, Pittsburg Plate Glass.
She had an older brother (uncle actually) Melvin along with sisters Alma, Marjorie and Linda.
Velma and Marjorie moved to California to be on their own when they were about 18 yrs. old. She met and married Nicholas (Baymer) Wheeling in 1940. As an Air Force test pilot, Baymer was killed testing an aircraft in 1944.
Velma went through a brief marriage to a serviceman. He got assigned to a base in Alaska, where they moved to around 1947. Unfortunately he was abusive and, true to Velma’s character, she divorced him, when many women of the time would have stayed married. She continued to make a life for herself in Alaska until moving back to Kansas around 1951 to join her older sister Alma. It was there, at a USO dance, that she met Ed Horanic, who had asked Alma to dance first. Somehow Ed survived that gaff and asked Velma to marry him. On March 17, 1953 they were married in Topeka Kansas and she began her life as Velma Horanic. So began 59 years of marriage.
Ed was a Flight Engineer and was assigned to bombers which meant assignments throughout the world. Velma always traveled with Ed. She loved to travel and go to new places. Their only child, Eddie, was born on Dec. 14, 1956 at McLellan AFB in Sacramento, CA. Six months later, Ed was assigned to the base in Izmir Turkey. The family all hopped on a ship to Turkey and lived in a top floor flat in Izmir. They enjoyed the good life in Turkey, where on Military wages, you could afford a nice place to live, a housekeeper, a driver, and rent a beachfront cottage on the Mediterranean Sea. As was common in the service then, Ed was reassigned to Greece after only two and one half years in Turkey.
Greece lasted only six months and then Ed’s career brought the family back to Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque N.M. in 1960. Ed was then transferred to Lackland AFB in San
Antonio TX in 1963. During that long stretch of time at Lackland, by military standards, we moved to Lincoln Nebraska for 6 months while Ed finished his undergraduate degree. Also during that time at Lackland, always the care giver, Velma traveled to Missouri to take care of her dad. Matthew was battling lung cancer, as did so many of the men that worked production at the glass plant. Velma was there 4 months, only returning to Texas when Matthew passed. She returned to Missouri several times over the next 3 yrs. to take care of her mother.
Velma helped support her family while Ed worked and got his Master’s Degree. She finally convinced him to retire from the Air Force in 1968. Ed got an offer to work for the City of Fresno, so the family pulled up stakes again and moved to CA Velma and Ed purchased a home in Fresno and also a cabin in Shaver Lake.
In 1971 they chose Clovis First Baptist as their church home and became an important part of that family as well. They nurtured their faith and established life-long friendships at the church. Velma and Ed hosted Annual Sunday School parties at their cabin in Shaver Lake. She genuinely looked forward to seeing their class up in the mountains each year. Up until the end of her life, members of the church continued to visit her and take her out. Velma took care of the young and the old, including little Ben Arnold, who eventually attend services at Clovis First Baptist. She also provided care for family members and friends alike.
Velma loved her son and his family passionately. She and Ed enjoyed their three granddaughters, oldest Leiasa, and twins Emma and Sydney. If not loving on her family, she was spoiling her beloved pets beginning with Ladybug, a terrier the family got in 1967. They enjoyed several more dogs, the last being a Chihuahua mix named YaYa.
In keeping with Velma’s passion for travel, the family went together on a couple of Cruises, where “Grandma” wore the Grandchildren out swimming and exploring both on and off the ship.
Velma was a strong woman and a passionate advocate for her family. She epitomized perseverance and compassion. She was the best Mother a Son could have. As a Mom, she had that ability to teach, discipline and, when needed, show compassion. She always able to get the message across in ways that I (her son Eddie) knew she loved me. I will always appreciate her love and what I’ve learned from her through the way she lived.
The surviving members of Velma’s family will be forever grateful for the love and caring bestowed upon Velma by her friends from Clovis First Baptist Church, especially since Ed’s passing 5 years ago. We also want to thank the staff at Cottonwood Court for taking care of Velma as if she was their family, and treating her with kindness and love throughout her illness.
Arrangements under the direction of Boice Funeral Home, Clovis, CA.
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