Virgil V. Munnerlyn
(Feb 4 1892 - Jun 13 1965)

Virgil Vascar Munnerlyn was born 4 Feb 1892, Atlanta, Case Co., Texas, to Samuel Pierce Munnerlyn and Frances Lucretia Ryan. He married 4 Dec. 1924 in Hosston, Caddo Parish, Louisiana to Zelma Pearl Harkins.

Virgil started out in the retail business.  After working in several mercantile, he and his brother, Willie, built their own business in Ida, Louisiana.  They had a good business until the Great Depression.  They continued to carry their customers on credit until they could no longer pay the wholesalers.  Then they had to close the store.  Virgil owned 40 acres of property 2 1/2 miles south of Ida. He erected a little house on the property and moved his family there.  He went to work picking cotton at 10 cents a hundred.  He often said that he was lucky that he was able to pick cotton fast and could pick several hundred pounds a day.  With what he made and the food that Zelma grew and canned from her garden the family was able to get by until Virgil could obtain work in the oil fields.  He continued to work in the oil industry until his retirement about 1960.  He was a lifetime member of Munnerlyn Chapel Methodist Church, a 32 Degree Mason and a member of the Scottish Rite.  He was a fine man and a wonderful father.  He had a great love of music and sports, especially baseball.  He and Zelma made many sacrifices to see that their children had a chance to participate in many extracurricular activities, especially musical training and sports.  Anyone in the community who was in need of help could always count on Virgil to help in any way possible, whether it be monetary or physical.  His wife has been known to say that "he would give away the shirt off his back" and that was probably true if he felt someone was in need of it.  He loved music and loved to sing.  Although he never studied, he had a good baritone voice and would always sing in quartets if asked.  His children fondly remember many nights around the piano singing hymns.

Virgil died in Ida, Caddo Parish, Louisiana on 13 Jun. 1965.  Virgil was buried 15 June 1965 in Munnerlyn Chapel Cemetery, Ida, Caddo Parish, Louisiana.

Wife of Virgil V. Munnerlyn
Mrs. Zelma Pearl (Harkins) Munnerlyn
(23 Sep 1899 - 23 Apr 2001)
This picture was made to give to Virgil sometime 
before Virgil and Zelma were married.

Zelma grew up during the "flapper" days, but she was not a flapper.  She wanted to be a nurse very badly but her parents did not think it a suitable occupation for a nice young lady.  She went to Hosston and clerked in the Post Office, boarding with relatives of her Uncle Will's wife, Mary.  Zelma was a beautiful young lady and had many handsome suitors.  However, Virgil Munnerlyn caught her eye and they were married.  They were parents of 4 children and during their marriage lived in Hosston, Belcher and Ida, LA.  Zelma was and avid gardener and raised lots of fruits and vegetables which she canned in the summer.  She made her daughters dresses and lots of costumes for plays at school.  She was a superior mother and grandmother.  She believed in little peach tree switches and used them when necessary.  She has been known to cry later over some of the used ones.  She was always fair in her dealings with her children and gave them tongue lashings that were worse than the switch.  She was a wonderful mother and always devoted to her family and their well being.  She lived to the ripe old age of 101 and 7 months.  She lived in three different centuries, saw amazing changes take place in the world, lived through 5 wars, including one that took her two sons into battles in the South Pacific.

 

Children of Virgil and Zelma were Virgil Vascar Jr. (b. 1925), Robert Pierce (b. 1926), Leta Mildred COLLINS (b. 1930), Zenoma Francine JONES (b. 1932). 

Descendant Relation:
James Sr.>Loftis Redlee>Benjamin>Willis Rawls>Samuel Pierce>Virgil V. MUNNERLYN