Mildred Marie (Wimer) Vance, 100, of Petersburg passed away Feb. 16, 2023, at Pendleton Manor in Franklin.
Mildred was born on Jan. 29, 1923, in the old house on the Hunting Ground. She was the daughter of the late Pinckney Brady Wimer and Lilly Mae Wimer.
Mrs. Vance was a 1941 graduate of Circleville High School, where she played on the women’s basketball team.
She married James Vance in 1958, and worked as a waitress in a few Petersburg eateries. She retired from Sites Restaurant in Petersburg, where she worked for many years. She was a longtime member of the Golden Lane’s Women’s Bowling League in Petersburg, winning several championship trophies and traveling to regional tournaments. She was also a member of the American Legion Post 78 Ladies Auxiliary.
She was beloved by her neighbors and was known for her love of gardening and tending to her flowerbeds in the summer, especially her tomato plants.
Her husband, James Vance, preceded her in death.
Surviving are two children, Virgil Wimer (Alice) of Montross, Virginia, and Linda Ruddle (John) of Franklin; a stepdaughter, Marietta Smalling of Petersburg; two grandchildren, Michael Wimer (Lea) of Tequesta, Florida, and Cassandra Richards (David) of Shamong, New Jersey; and four great-grandchildren, Emily Richards and Chelsea Richards of Shamong, New Jersey, and Ella Wimer and Bryson Wimer of Tequesta, Florida.
She was also preceded in death by a sister, Wilda Mae Hartman (Ralph); a half brother, Ralph Hansel
Wimer; and a half sister, Gae Nell Smith (Ralph).
A funeral service was held Sunday at the Schaeffer Funeral Home in Petersburg. Burial was in Maple Hill Cemetery in Petersburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter (P.A.W.S.), PO Box 804, Franklin, WV 26807.
