Virginia A. Watkins

Virginia A. Watkins, age 102, of Ranson, West Virginia died at home with her daughter, Ruth, by her side on Sept. 8, 2023. She was born May 6, 1921, in Stanley, Virginia to Shirley and Daisy Belle Southard. Having lived a beautiful life, she will be remembered for her nurturing, uplifting spirit, her devotion to family, her selfless generosity, and her faith in God.

She was a member of Grace Baptist Church in Shenandoah Junction. While married to her first husband, William “Bill” Miller, Virginia owned, trained, and raced thoroughbreds at Shenandoah Downs and the Charles Town Track. She loved music and dancing and was a 50+ year member of the Moose Club.

She is survived by her daughter, Ruth Henshaw Knill, her three granddaughters: Sonja James and friend Billy Knighten of Shepherdstown, Scarlett Hill and her husband Travis of Naples, Florida, and Sienna Ambrose and her husband Aaron of Alpine, California, and her five great grandchildren: Malek and Howard Bouzahar and Aaron, Cameron, and Madison Ambrose and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her late husband’s William Miller, Wilson Smith, and James Watkins, she was preceded in death by her infant son, William Shirley Miller, and her siblings: Annie Dudley, Mida Corso, Eileen Chapman, Catherine Ryman, and Edwin Southard.

The family will receive friends at Jefferson Memorial Chapel in Ranson on Sunday, Sept. 24 from 2-4 p.m. Interment will be private at Pleasant View Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Charles Town Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association Assistance Fund, P.O. Box 581, Charles Town, WV 25414.

Online condolences may be offered at www.BrownFuneralHomesWV.com.