A graveside service for Virginia Lea Appelquest, 82, of Washington, was held Saturday, August 30, 2008, at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Washington, with Father Chris Williamson officiating. She died Thursday, August 28, at her home after a brief illness. Genevieve and Ian Coe paid tribute to their grandmother playing a harp rendition of "Be Thou My Vision" and a viola rendition of "Ashogun Farewell" and "Amazing Grace."

Virginia Clay Lea was born to the late Clark Rice Lea and Allie Thomas Lea on October 3, 1925, at the Lea family home in Magnolia, Miss. She attended Magnolia Baptist Church and Robinson Baptist Church in Peoria, Miss. She excelled in the local school system, and as a teen was given a column in the local newspaper. She attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where she earned her degree in chemistry. It was there that she met her husband, Andren Jerome Appelquest, a chemical engineer. They moved with their very young son and daughter to Delicias, Oriente, Cuba, in 1951 where Andren worked at Cuban-American Sugar Company. Their third child was born in Havana. The family established lifelong friendships there, but in 1960 they returned to the United States following Fidel Castro's take-over of the island. Mrs. Appelquest followed a deep interest in education and continued her studies in order to teach junior high school mathematics in Valdosta where the family settled after Mr. Appelquest took a position as division plant manager of Owens Illinois. They retired in 1984 to Summerland Key, Florida. Following a stroke in April 2000, Andren and Virginia moved to Washington where Andren died in 2005.

Survivors include three children, six grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren: Andren Jerome Appelquest Jr. and his wife Camilla McPhail Appelquest of Seabrook, Texas, and her son, Brandon McPhail; Dr. Elizabeth Lea Appelquest Coe and her husband, Dr. Stan Coe, and their children, Ian Andren Coe and Genevieve Lea Coe of Washington; Emily Buckman Merrill and her husband, David Wilson Merrill of Cottonwood, Arizona, and their children, Hanan Merrill and his wife, Shelagh Ross Merrill, and their children, Andrew, Sophia, William and Lucinda of Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Carey Adan Merrill and Nathan Wilson Merrill of Los Gatos, California; and a sister Betty Lea Banning of Bossier City, La.

Pallbearers included Andren Appelquest, Dr. Stan Coe, Ian Coe, Miguel Muniz, John Bennett, and James Attwood.

Honorary pallbearers were David Merrill, Hanan Merrill, Carey Merrill, Nathan Merrill, Ted Appelquest, Carey Lea, "Hutch" Hutchinson, Evan Thomas, Churl Everett Thomas, Bobby Thomas, Jimmy Justice, Terry Josey, Edmundo Aburto, Alejandro Aburto, Angel Aburto, Jose Perales, Virgil Caldwell, John Chislett, Dr. Michael Molitor, Xavier Rodriguez, Lucio Rodriguez, Leandro Vazquez, Vernon Haynes, Thomas Bridges, John Sigsby, Gisbert Paulus, Charles Kimbrall, Allen Burton, Jim Burton, Pug Nelms, Mike Davis, Jean Louis Bray, Thomas Charping, Tyler Verdery, Michael Attwood, Louis McDaniel, James McRae, Leandro Vazquez, Nelson Grier, Owen Farmer, and Marvin Horton.

Memorial contributions may be made to Wills Memorial Hospital, Mary Willis Library, Washington- Wilkes Animal Shelter, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, First Baptist Church, Robinson Baptist Church, Hillsdale College, the American Cancer Society, or the charity of choice.