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Virginia Wilson, 93, the wife of the late Rev. John Roy Wilson, died from pneumonia March 11, 2011, at Casey House in Derwood. The Rev. Walt Edmonds officiated at the Service of Death and Resurrection at Damascus UMC March 16, and was soloist along with his daughter, Polly Edmonds Baldridge. Pastor Linda Motter delivered the homily.

Virginia Lehmann and the Rev. John Wilson were married in 1942, just after he transferred from New York to begin full time ministry in the Baltimore Conference.

Thus, her life was one of ministry through the moves to many parsonages and churches her husband served, from 5-point charges to city churches. She sang in the church choirs, served as a camp counselor and Girl Scout mom. She was also a substitute teacher in the Montgomery County Schools.

The churches and charges her husband served  included in the 1940s and 50s, Paw Paw, W. Va., Charge with five churches, Eckhart Mines Charge with four, Howard Charge in Clarksville with four and Forest Hill Charge with two, which he served from 1955-1962.  In 1962 he began a four-year appointment to Mt. Ranier, then in 1966 moved to Central-Summerfield, which became Wildwood Parkway UMC. In 1971, he was appointed to Pasadena and stayed until 1978 when he moved to First UMC in Lanham. In 1980, they moved to St. Paul UMC in Laytonsville, from which he retired in 1983.  However, he continued in ministry from 1987-1992, serving Trinity UMC in Odenton. He died in 1995.

Upon retirement, they moved to Damascus and lived there 20 years, where she was active in the Damascus UMC.

During the 1960s, Wilson worked hard to bring together the Baltimore and Washington conferences. She was active with the Ministerial Wives Retreats held at Drayton Manor, and the annual Conference wives’ banquets. She was president of her class alumnae (1939) at Goucher College. In the 1980s, she was a member of the Laytonsville Lions Club, where her husband had been chaplain for 15 years.

Survivors include two daughters, Ginger Wilson of Germantown, and Mary Grace Miller of Seattle, Wash., and two grandchildren..

Condolences may be sent to Ginger Wilson, 19621 Gunners Branch Road, Germantown, MD 20876