Virginia "Ginny" Ruth (Pumphrey) Back's Obituary
Virginia Ruth (Pumphrey) Back
January 7, 1930 ~ March 17, 2018
Born the third child of B.M. and Josephine Pumphrey in Springfield, Missouri, Virginia “Ginny” grew up in a loving Christian home. By eight years of age, she was helping her father transplant his tomato plants and soon had a flower garden plot of her own.
She proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ at age nine at Temple Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri. All her life, she found joy and support through her faith and involvement in Baptist churches.
Ginny graduated from Springfield Senior High School and Southwest Missouri State University with a BS in Education. After serving as a Summer Missionary in Oregon in 1952, she married Rev. JD Back of Ozark, Missouri. Together they served as Southern Baptist Home Missionaries, eight years in Arizona and 24 years in Alaska. While serving in Alaska her specialties were teaching Literacy, Speech Therapy, ESL and serving as Bilingual Specialist for the public-school districts of Kenai and Anchorage.
Retiring in 1994, she and JD moved to Oregon to be closer to family. She and JD became “snow birds” spending many winters in Yuma, Arizona in their motorhome.
Ginny has been a member of Grace Baptist Church in St. Helens, Oregon since 1994 and served eight years as church librarian. When Columbia County Christian School was established Ginny volunteered to set up the school library and served as librarian for five years.
She loved and enjoyed her home, family, cats, cooking, quilting and gardening. She always had beautiful flowers and a vegetable garden each place she lived. She was an active member of St. Helens Garden Club for several years.
Ginny and JD considered their lives together as an adventure and spent 65 years together.
She is survived by her husband, JD; her three children, Maribeth, David and Stuart; her two grandchildren, Jennifer and Tiffany; her great granddaughter, Christine and her many friends.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 2:00 PM at Grace Baptist Church in St. Helens, Oregon.
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