Virginia Jo Shults

Virginia Jo Shults, 87, passed away Sunday, July 4, 2021 at her home surrounded by her family.  She was born on November 6, 1933 in Cleveland and graduated from Bradley Central High School in 1952.  She was a member of First Baptist Church for over 50 years.  She was employed by First Baptist Church for 30 years as a church secretary and later a financial secretary.  For 4 years she was the assistant for the library at Cleveland High School.  For 10 years, before retirement, she was the assistant to the Children’s Director at First Baptist Family Life Center (Nell Rose Ware). Her passion was working with children.  She enjoyed camping in the early days at Camp Cherokee (Parksville) with friends Ray and Joan Baker. They joined the Roam and Roost Camping Club, with their special friends Lamar and Mary Jo Martin.  She loved to travel with her special friends Sam and Virginia Bledsoe and Paul and Elsie Kirksey.  She even traveled to Brazil to visit Mack and Audrey Shults with her daughter and grandson Matthew. She loved and was devoted to her family.  Her pride and joy was her grandson Matthew.

She was preceded in death by parents C.J. Wyatt and Virgie Lovingood Wyatt; brothers Ed Geren, Jimmy Wyatt, Doug Wyatt, Larry Wyatt; sisters Norma Barrett and Linda Kelley; brothers-in-law Willis “Fat” Shults, R.L. Shults, and Mike Keefe; sister-in-law Audrey Shults.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years Ray Shults; daughter and son-in-law Jeanette and Mike Connolly; grandson Matthew Freytag and wife Kellie; great grandchildren Anna Mae and Jackson Freytag; sisters-in-law Ina Shults, Bernice Keefe, Marie Shults, Dallie Wyatt, Loretta Wyatt; brother-in-law Mack Shults, several nieces and nephews also survive.

A funeral service will be held Thursday, July 8, 2021 in the chapel of Fike Randolph and Son Funeral Home with Pastor Bob Pruett officiating.  Interment will be Friday, July 9, 2021 in the Chattanooga National Cemetery at 1:00pm.

The family will receive friends Thursday, July 8, 2021 at the funeral home from 5:00pm-7:00pm, prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to St. Jude Research Hospital.  www.stjude.org/donate

We invite you to send a message of condolence and view the Shults family guestbook at www.fikefh.com.