Violet Mae Toy

Violet Mae Toy, 92, of Varina, Va. went to be her Lord and Savior on Sunday, September 8, 2024. She is preceded in death by her parents, Charles H. Minter, Sr. & Louise Jessie Minter, her sisters Frances Skinner, Lucille Sitterson and Virginia Link and her brother, Charles H. Minter, Jr. Left to cherish her memory are her husband and sweetheart of 75 years, Wallace K. Toy, her children Wayne K. Toy (Cheryle) of Chesterfield, Patricia McCormick (Thomas) of Williamsburg and C. Kevin Toy (Margaret) of Richmond, her brother, Richard T. Minter (Vicki) of Fayetteville, Ga. and sister-in-law Doris A. Toy of Williamsburg. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Randall S. Toy of Richmond, Lesley A. Houtz (Ted) of Wilmington, NC and Perrin W. Stokes of Richmond and great-granddaughters Britney Houtz of Chesterfield and Samantha Houtz of Wilmington, NC. Violet was born in Gether, Va. and moved with her family to Richmond as a young child and lived in the Richmond area most of her life. She married her sweetheart, Wallace, in 1948 sharing covenant love, faithfulness, challenges and many adventures along the way. They were always seen holding hands wherever they went. For over 20 years they enjoyed the adventures of RV life wintering in Florida as well as traveling cross country to see America. She was always present and involved in the activities of her children whether it was attending school band concerts, rock band shows, disco dancing contests, baseball games or horse shows. She also joined her children in roller skating, horseback riding, boating, fishing, crabbing, water skiing and made costumes for various events and activities they were involved in. She was known as the fun mom! In addition to raising her three children, she was also a foster mom to three boys, Pete, Jimmy and Nick. She and Wallace provided a safe and loving home for these children at a time when their family life was unstable. They all learned about Jesus whether their stay was brief or extended. She was creative and for many years enjoyed acquiring collectibles and antiques to refurbish and sell. Over the years she created works of art that included paintings, sand art, dolls and other crafts as well as beautiful art pieces made from the many shells she collected on the beaches of Florida. She loved working with her sweetheart restoring many antique cars over the years and enjoyed going to car shows to display their treasured and beautifully restored cars as well as driving them to many Cruise-ins around the area. Violet was a member of Stockton Memorial Baptist Church for more than 75 years. She and Wallace recently received a plaque commemorating their faithfulness and longevity of service to the church. She was a true warrior through many things in life but none as much as the last three years as she fought so many serious health issues. She was a strong and courageous woman and would always say “I’ll be alright”. She is indeed alright now resting safely in the arms of Jesus. And while we will miss her beautiful spirit, love, laughter, sense of humor, wisdom, strength, compassion and all the wonderful character traits that made her who she was, she has left us a legacy and example of a life well lived. There will be a visitation on Monday, September 16 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at Nelsen Funeral Home located at 4650 S. Laburnum Ave., Richmond, Va. A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, September 17 at 2:00 PM at Bermuda Memorial Park located at 1901 Bermuda Hundred Rd., Chester, Va. There will be a reception immediately following the graveside service at Stockton Memorial Baptist Church, 5100 Claypoint Rd., Chesterfield, VA