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Virginia Bright

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[March 06, 2020]  LINCOLN - Virginia Bright, 102, of Lincoln went to be with the Lord on Thursday, February 27, 2020.

Visitation:  10:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 11, 2020  at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln

Service:  11 a.m. March 11th at the church

Funeral home: Fricke-Calvert-Schrader, Lincoln   

Obituary

Virginia Bright, 102, of Lincoln went to be with the Lord on Thursday, February 27, 2020.

She was born November 7, 1917, the daughter of Carl E. and Ruby L. (Lyerla) Carriker in rural Irving. Her father lost his life in the service of his country when she was an infant and her mother preceded her in death many years later. She was raised by her mother in the home of her maternal grandparents, Edward (Doc) and Nancy Lyerla of rural Irving.

She attended school in Irving, completing all grades in the school and graduating from Hilltop High School in Hillsboro, Illinois in 1935. She continued her studies at Illinois State Normal University, graduating in 1939, and she taught 5th and 6th grades at the Irving School during the 1939-40 school year. She met her future husband, Walter Bright, at a dance while she was a student at ISNU and they were married on Sunday, June 23, 1940 at the Irving Christian Church. He preceded her in death 2001 after more than 60 years of marriage.

During World War II she taught Morse Code at Scott Field, but
most of her life was spent as a homemaker. Following the war,
she and her family lived briefly in Belleville and later in Bloomington. Her husband then resumed his career as a high school science teacher, teaching 5 years at Fisher High School and 18 years at Princeton High School.

Following retirement, she and her husband moved to Lincoln, Illinois to be closer to their daughters.

In recent years she struggled with severely diminished vision, but
she had a very agile mind and loved the challenge of word puzzles, continuing to work crosswords with the help of her daughters until the very end of her life.

 

She also loved music, enjoyed reading before her vision failed, volunteered in the White Cross program at First Baptist Church of Princeton, and was an avid golfer until the age of 79, when she became the full-time caretaker for her husband, who was in poor health. She was a woman of deep spiritual faith and placed her trust in her Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. She was the oldest living member of her family and of First Baptist Church of Lincoln, and an inspiration to all who knew her.

Virginia is survived by her daughters, Helene (Jerry) Bales of Lincoln and Peggy (Rick, deceased) Weinberg of Champaign; four grandchildren, Patrick (Melora) Bales of Peotone, Jeremy Bales of Lincoln, Brent (Rachel) Weinberg of Peach Tree Corners, Georgia, and Lindsay (Brian) Buchalski of Bolingbrook; six great-grandchildren, Dylan Bales of Peotone, Grace, Samuel, Eve, and Anna Weinberg, all of Peach Tree Corners, Georgia, Jordan and Chase Buchalski of Bolingbrook. She is also survived by her beloved cousin Nancy Spinner of Hillsboro.

Visitation will be held at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln (101
Broadway) at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11 with the memorial service to follow at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Bloomington.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church of Lincoln, which
was a source of great comfort and support.

The family wishes to express its gratitude to Rev. Ray Pepple and George Shaub for their frequent visits, faithfulness and and administration of Holy Communion. A heartfelt thank you also to the patient and caring staff of Timber Creek Village, which was her home for the last five years of her life.

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