VIRGINIA M. AREY
Died June 23, 2011
Virginia Marsh Arey died June 23, 2011, at Willow Creek nursing home in Goldsboro, N.C.
She was a native of Salisbury, N.C., and the daughter of the late Alonzo Groves Marsh and Virginia Cuthrell Marsh.
Mrs. Arey was married to the late Jacques Arey, also a native of Salisbury, for 50 years. For many years they lived in Mount Pleasant, S.C. She moved to Goldsboro in 2006 to be closer to her sister, Patricia Sasser, and family.
Mrs. Arey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Catawba College in 1946.
She worked as a registrar and admissions officer at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and at Armstrong State College in Savannah, Ga.
She earned an M.Ed from Georgia Southern University in 1970, and became a guidance counselor at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., in 1971, where she retired as an education guidance counselor GS-10 in 1992.
Mrs. Arey was a nationally-certified counselor, and received numerous awards during her Civil Service career with the Air Force. She twice received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the second highest award provided to civilian employees of federal agencies.
In 1981, she was named Federal Employee of the Year by the Federal Executive Association of the Greater Charleston Area. Her entire life had been devoted to helping others to achieve, the award noted.
Her exceptional abilities, performance and dedication have been recognized throughout the Air Force, as well as the Charleston area.
In addition to counseling thousands of Air Force personnel, her work at the base included making recommendations on academic policy to the Community College of the Air Force, and managing the Federal Womens Program initiative on equal employment opportunities.
She received a Letter of Commendation upon her retirement in 1992, and a letter from President George H.W. Bush thanking her for her service to her country.
After retirement, she spent many happy hours reading, gardening, traveling and visiting family. She belonged to St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant and St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Goldsboro.
She is survived by her sister, Patricia Marsh Sasser; nephews Patrick Henry Sasser Jr. and William Marsh Sasser; and grandnephews and nieces, John DeLacey, Virginia DeLacey, Patricia DeLacey, Patrick Sasser and Gray Sasser.
Graveside services by the Rev. Eugene Carpenter of St. Stephens will be held at Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Salisbury, N.C., at 11 a.m. June 27.
Family will receive friends following the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 984, Goldsboro, N.C., 27533.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.seymourfuneralhome.com.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on June 24, 2011 1:48 PM