Obituaries: Virginia Humphreys

FOSSIL – Virginia Humphreys, 84, died Aug. 14, 2009, at Haven House Retirement Center in Fossil. A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the Spray School Gymnasium in Spray.

Mrs. Humphreys was born July 9, 1925, on Mountain Creek, east of Mitchell, to Owen A. and Helen M. Cooper Cannon. She attended Caleb School there until fourth grade, when her family moved to Salem. She graduated from Salem High School in 1943 and obtained a secondary education degree from Willamette University in 1948. She taught in Newberg from 1948-1949 and in Springfield from 1949-1950.

In 1949 she married Robert “Bob” Humphreys. In 1950 they moved to Waterman Flats, where she helped her husband on the ranch. The couple had three boys before she started teaching at Mitchell High School in 1957. She continued to spend summers with her family in the wilderness while Bob herded sheep and she helped to put up hay.

She was very competitive. In a time of no intercollegiate sports for girls, she played against the boys at her school. As a volleyball coach, her teams were nearly unbeatable for over 25 years. She was honored as OSAA Coach of the Year.

Even against bigger schools, the Loggerettes often won. There was no state playoff system at the time, but Mitchell won in its league consistently with strong competition from Prairie City and occasionally other schools like Long Creek, Spray, or Monument and later Dayville. The burning of the old Mitchell School House in 1984 hit her hard.

Survivors include her sons, Robert Allan Humphreys Jr. and Steven A. Humphreys, both of Kimberly, and David T. Humphreys of Spray; sisters, Marion, Elsie and Dorothy; sister-in-law, Aloha; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and hundreds of volleyball players, whom she held in esteem as daughters.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Humphreys on Sept. 5, 1991; father, Owen Anthony Cannon on Aug. 30, 1949; mother, Helen M. Cannon on March 20, 2005; and grandson, Paul M. Humphreys in January 2005.

Memorial contributions may be made to Haven House Retirement Center, PO Box 386, Fossil, OR 97830.

Sweeney Mortuary of Condon is in charge of arrangements.