Virginia (Greene) O'Neal

Virginia O’Neal

As a small child too young to understand the tenents of her faith, she remembered swinging in her back yard and being overwhelmed by the presence of God.  Such comfort she carried with her throughout life, drawing upon it in times of difficulty and sharing her belief in the love of the Lord with others, an experience that told her how little we have to know about God to be touched by the generosity of the divine.  Virginia passed away on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 at home surrounded by her family.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Jim O’Neal and her parents Betty and James Greene and is survived by her children Chris O’Neal (Lisa), Mary Clare O’Neal (Campbell Wood), Tom O’Neal (Sandra), and Jamie O’Neal (Paul Paonessa) Virginia was a loving mother and wife and appreciated all things beautiful, particularly art, books, good movies, classical music, and the many places she and Jim travelled to throughout their marriage.  A talented visual artist, she was most proud of the portraits she painted of friends and family and the fashion illustrations she did for the Stewart’s and Kauffman department stores, as well as the portraits of baseball legends Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Dizzy Dean commissioned by the Hillerich and Bradsby company as part of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s art collection.  A lover of good books throughout her life, in her 50s she decided to try her hand at writing fiction and within a few years completed a mystery, Beecher, which was published here in the states and then translated into French and republished as a Rosebud Soupcon series mystery.  Her children deeply mourn losing her.  A funeral service will be held 11AM Monday at the Garr Funeral Home in Sellersburg with a private burial to follow at Floydsburg Cemetery.  Visitation will be Sunday from 2-8PM and anytime after 9AM until the time of service on Monday.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wayside Christian Mission or Habitat for Humanity.  Online condolences can be made at www.garrfuneralservices.com.