Virginia "Ginger" Hughes Hulsey

Virginia “Ginger” Hughes Hulsey was born on August 2, 1926, to Ozelle Johnston Hughes and Carey Loran Hughes in Cleburne, Texas. She was the second born of three daughters, with older sister Mary Nell and baby sister Billie Francis.

Ginger spent most of her growing up years in Fort Worth. She was a good student and was especially proud of her years playing the drums in the Poly High School Marching Band.

After graduating high school, she completed bookkeeping and secretarial training and held various administrative jobs, including working for Aetna. Ginger was an extremely fast and skilled typist in pre-word processing days. She would tell of working in one of the upper stories of the W T Waggoner building in downtown Fort Worth. There was no air conditioning in those days, so during the summers, there were big fans, and the windows were kept open. Whenever a strong wind would come by, all the papers would fly off her desk! She would also tell of the days when people really dressed up for work wearing dresses, heels, and stockings and how hot and uncomfortable it was in those un-airconditioned buildings.

Ginger met Billy Bob Hulsey through mutual friends on a blind date in 1951 where they went to Jimmy Dipp’s on Blue Bonnet Traffic Circle in Fort Worth for Chinese food. Bill loved to tell the story of the first time that Bill had tried to call Ginger and ask her out for Friday evening, she said she was busy. He then asked about Saturday evening, and she said she was busy then also. Bill almost gave up, but then Ginger said she was free on Sunday evening! (Her baby sister, Billie, had been getting married that weekend and the festivities were on the Friday and Saturday nights.)

Ginger married Billy Bob “Bill” Hulsey on March 22, 1952, at Polytechnic UMC in Fort Worth with all the family from both sides in attendance. They were married for 69 years!

Ginger and Bill had one daughter, Kim, born in 1962. In those days, employers had the policy that women, even married women, had to quit work when they got pregnant. Ginger loved Kim and became a stay-at-home mom, but always missed the camaraderie of the office. She was just recalling this to Dave and Kim in recent weeks when discussing Dave’s upcoming retirement.

A few years later, Bill and Ginger with a partner, started their own company, Metro Quip in Arlington, which was a manufacturer’s representative for commercial heating and air conditioning, pollution control and sewage treatment equipment. Ginger enjoyed using her secretarial and bookkeeping skills to ensure Bill’s success.

Ginger was an accomplished seamstress and during their lean years, made many of her own and Kim’s clothes. Once Metro Quip became more profitable, Ginger became quite the clothes horse and had outfits, earrings, necklaces, and shoes in every color and style imaginable as Kim’s friends can attest to while helping clean out Ginger’s closets before her move to Waco.

During their Metro Quip years, Bill and Ginger were able to enjoy numerous international trips, including a trip to Acapulco, Mexico City and through the Panama Canal. After Bill’s retirement in 1992, Ginger and Bill enjoyed many years of additional travel with family and friends. Their travels included trips to England, Scotland, Venezuela, and especially enjoyed a river cruise down the Danube stopping at various countries along the way.

Ginger was raised Southern Baptist in her early years, then became a United Methodist after marrying Bill. They were members of Edge Park UMC for over 40 years then joined Arborlawn UMC in 2008. Over the years, Ginger‘s service included altar guilds, United Methodist Women, and finance committees. Ginger was still volunteering at the Arborlawn Clothes Closet into her 90’s! Ginger was also an avid church league bowler and won numerous trophies for her bowling prowess. Ginger and Bill both set good examples of having a heart for service to their church and community.

For several years during Kim’s Junior High years, Ginger was a teacher’s aide in a special needs classroom at JT Stephens Elementary in Fort Worth.

During retirement, Ginger enjoyed grandkids, gardening, bird watching, and travel and passed that love along to Kim. Kim recalls the night that Michael was born, and they lived in Chicago. Ginger had been up to visit Kim and Dave for a baby shower about a month pre-Michael. Michael had other ideas and was born in the evening after the baby shower while Ginger was still there. She had been planning to go back to Fort Worth and leave for one of their England trips the very next day. Ginger gave up her trip to stay and help Kim and Dave with the new baby for the next two weeks.

Ginger also was a self-taught stock market whiz! She never went to college, but she had an affinity for this activity. Ginger had the acumen to buy Lowe’s stock back when no one had even heard of Lowe’s!

Ginger liked to walk fast and drive fast and was driving into her 90’s! It was very hard on her when she sold her car about 6 months ago!

She was feisty her whole life and even her orthopedic surgeon and aides at the Blake, where she only lived for 10 days, described her that way. Nell, from the Blake, really ministered to Kim this last week when she said that Ginger had reminded her of her own beloved grandmother. “Ms. Ginger took my heart the first day I laid eyes on her. She reminded me of my grandma, her height, her spunky sense of humor that she didn’t want many people to see. I was the only one able to get her out and do things. I felt like she was my angel sent by my grandma. Ms. Ginger, I love you. You’ve gained your wings to be with the Lord.”

As King Charles III said of his own mother this last week, “May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.”