Obituary of Virginia Ellen Kunkel

Virginia Ellen Kunkel Funeral services for Virginia Ellen Kunkel of Foley, MO will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at Corinth Christian Church near Foley. Rev. Jim Daniels and Rev. Scott Groshong will officiate with burial in Corinth Cemetery near Foley. Serving as pallbearers will be George Kunkel, Jeff Mesle, Brad Wanko, Jesse Hines, Dale Hines and Jerry Heitman. Mrs. Kunkel, 77, died Thursday afternoon, December 10, 2009 at Villages of St. Peters in St. Peters, MO. Born November 3, 1932 in Kansas City, MO, she was the daughter of George Louis and Virginia Vickers Kammerer. She was a 1948 graduate of Paseo High School in Kansas City, and earned an Associates Degree in 1950 from Stephens College. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education in 1953, and her Masters Degree in Education in 1958, both from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. She was united in marriage on June 13, 1954 in Kansas City to Norris Douglas Kunkel. This union was blessed with two children: George Douglas and Susan Lynn. She taught history at Hickman High School in Columbia for several years while her husband earned his engineering degree at MU. The Kunkel's were residents of Bridgeton, MO for many years, where she was a Girl Scout leader and Cub Scout Den Mother. She was a member and past president of Phi Lambda Beta, an honorary educational society. Mrs. Kunkel was a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority and served as president of the Alpha Gamma Delta Alumnae Association. She was a member and past president of the Stephens College Alumnae Association. Mrs. Kunkel was a former pilot of small private planes, and was a member and former chairman of the Ninety Nines Club, a women's pilot organization. After moving to the Foley area, she was an active member of the Corinth Christian Church, and served as secretary and treasurer for both Corinth Church and Corinth Cemetery for more than 20 years. She was currently a member of and served as secretary for the Elsberry DNC Club. She was also active with the Elsberry bridge groups. She was preceded in death by her parents: George and Virginia Kammerer; and her beloved husband of nearly 40 years, Norris Kunkel, who died March 1, 1994. Survivors include one son, George Kunkel and his wife, Tammy, of Denver, NC; one daughter, Susan Mesle and her husband, Jeff, of St. Charles, MO; and three grandchildren: Heather Kunkel of Denver, NC, Logan Mesle of St. Charles, and Bradley Wanko of St. Louis, MO. She also leaves one sister-in-law, Kaye Waddell and her husband, Bill, of Bellflower, MO; several other relatives and friends. Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home near Winfield. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or Corinth Cemetery in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Homes, 3838 East Highway 47, P.O. Box 253, Winfield, MO 63389. Online condolences may be made at www.carterricksfuneralhome.com.