Virginia H. Dement

Virginia Hester Dement died in Tallahassee, Florida, on November 22, 2014. She was born in Laurel, Mississippi, on February 20, 1922, to John S. and Wilma Hester. She grew up in Meridian, Mississippi and attended Meridian Public Schools, graduating from Meridian High School in 1940. She attended Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi and left school after the beginning of World War II to work in Meridian. She married A. Leland Culpepper of Meridian, building a home and raising two children: Charles (Chuck) and Ellen. After years of happy married life, Leland Culpepper died in 1966. She overcame financial difficulties left by her husband’s lengthy illness and supported her children, sending them both through college. In 1976, she married Shelby Dement, her high school sweetheart. They had many happy years together, living first in Peachtree City, Georgia and returning to Meridian after Shelby’s retirement from Delta Air Lines. They enjoyed travel and time with family and friends. Virginia loved Shelby’s daughters: Marilyn, Gail and Susan. In 2006, they moved to Thomasville, Georgia, in what Shelby described as their last adventure, learning to love that special place. Shelby died in 2011, and Virginia moved to Tallahassee, Florida to live with her daughter, Ellen Sprowls, and her family. She is survived by Charles L. Culpepper, Ellen Culpepper Sprowls, Marilyn Dement Garey, Gail Dement Sifford, and Susan Dement Torres, as well as many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Thomasville, Georgia at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 26. Interment and a graveside service will take place at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 29, at Magnolia Cemetery, Meridian, Mississippi. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are requested to First Presbyterian Church of Thomasville, Georgia; St. Alexis Episcopal Church of Jackson, Mississippi; or Big Bend Hospice of Tallahassee, Florida.