Virginia Exa Chesnut Mays

Virginia Exa Chesnut Mays was blessed. She was sweet, smart and beautiful, both inside and out. As a child of God, her faith was an integral and vital part of her essence. Although raised a Southern Baptist in Jacksonville, Texas, Virginia became a Methodist upon marriage, and was an active and contributing member of Reid Memorial UMC, Rose Garden UMC and St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. She and her family were involved in many aspects of church life, especially with the Lay Witness Mission movement during the 1970s.

Virginia was an expert seamstress, and drew great pleasure from creating matching ensembles for her daughters and their Barbie dolls. She enjoyed Bible study, golf, collecting antiques, baking, NCIS and Sudoku. Virginia was an avid reader with an insatiable hunger for knowledge. She derived joy in creating beautiful garden areas, and sitting with her cat, Little Friend. She took delight in driving (especially convertibles), and stopping at any place that struck her fancy. She salivated over warm, slathered-with-butter, fresh-out-of-the-oven pound cake, Cutie nectarines, Hershey’s chocolate, Planter’s red skinned Spanish peanuts, sour jelly beans, gummi bears, Saltine crackers with butter, and tuna fish teeming with lemon, lemon pepper and chopped dill pickle. She loved the touch and hum of a 10-key and the challenge of Accounting. Her favorite scripture was Romans 8:28, her favorite music was Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Evie, and her favorite film, Chariots of Fire. Her most favorite thing of all, however, was “being a mommy.”

Sweet Virginia was smart: witty, elegant, clever, intelligent, gracious, and kind. She was faithful and true and understood unconditional love. She was blessed. In her final days, when asked by her daughters if she had any words of wisdom, she whispered, “No, no words of wisdom." And with only the faintest of her endearing, lopsided smile, she added, "Words of love? Yes. I love you. That is all there is.”