Mary Lucille Stalnaker, 95, of Glenville, WV, passed away on July 5, 2022, while under the compassionate care of Crestview Manor Nursing Facility, Jane Lew, WV.
She was born on Lower Cedar Creek Rd., on April 28, 1927, a daughter of the late Robert Lewis and Orpha Whiting Stalnaker.
She completed the first eight years of her education at Cedar Creek One Room School. It was at that time she decided teaching would be her profession. She rowed a flat bottom boat across the Little Kanawha River to attend school. In later years, when the water was us, she did the same to teach school.
She graduated from Tanner High School in 1945. She earned an AB degree from Glenville State College in 1949. Continuing her education, she received a MA degree in Elementary Education from West Virginia University in 1954, and was inducted into Kappa Beta Pi.
Lucille was a retired teacher with 36 years of service in Gilmer and Wood Counties. She devoted her later years to further improving her community. She was a member of the Tanner High School Alumni Association and served on The Scholarship Committee. She was a member of the Gilmer County Historical Society, a member of the Gilmer County Association of Retired School Employees and a life member of the West Virginia Association of Retired School Employees.
Lucille was a Methodist by faith and assisted with the formation of the Pisgah Cemetery Trust Fund. She served as Secretary of the Board from 1975 to 2013.
The dream of a lifetime came to fruition in 2011 when a modern two-lane bridge was completed across the Little Kanawha River, near the mouth of Cedar Creek. She had promoted the project for four decades and it was named in her honor.
She enjoyed residing on the family farm where she was born. It was part of an original tract owned by the Whiting ancestors. She loved growing flowers and having friends and relatives visit.
She was especially fond of her many feline pets through the years.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by four siblings, Byron Stalnaker, Fred Stalnaker, Ruth Miller, and Gladys Coberly.
Family and friends will gather for visitation at Stump Funeral Home & Cremation, Inc., 107 Market St., Grantsville, WV, on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with Kevin Jones officiating. Funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m., following visitation. Burial will follow service at the Pisgah Cemetery on Rt. 5 E. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Pisgah Cemetery Fund, c/o United Bank, P.O. Box 519, Glenville, WV, 26351.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.stumpfuneralhomes.com