Vesta O. Wachs, 94, of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away peacefully on December 24 after a brief illness. Born in Minnesota in 1924, Vesta lived a long and interesting life. She was one of five surviving children born to Meda and Allie Olsen. After graduating high school, she briefly attended Willmar Business School before joining the United States Marine Corps during World War II. She often told the story of traveling by cattle train alone and finding a group of other women recruits by their “comfortable brown shoes” as ordered by the Marine Corps. As a Marine, she served as a clerk-typist in Washington, D.C., where she met her future husband, John T. Wachs, at a military dance. They married in 1945.
Vesta and John lived in Florida as newlyweds and later moved to Gulfport, MS where John was employed at Keesler Air Force base as a radar instructor. First a homemaker, Vesta was also a church secretary for 17 years at First United Methodist Church of Gulfport, Mississippi, retiring in 1980. After raising their family and retiring, Vesta and John enjoyed their life in Gulfport, entertaining friends and family, dancing, golfing, gardening, and bird watching. Following the death of her husband and the experience of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Vesta relocated to Redstone Village (RV) Independent Living in Huntsville to be near family. At Redstone Village, she continued to enjoy a happy life, making many new friends, participating in RV activities, and continuing to entertain many visitors to her home.
Vesta’s survivors include Karen W. McLeod (Cameron), John J. Wachs (Kathleen), and Steven D. Wachs (Barbara); seven grandchildren, Roderick “Rory” D. McLeod (Jane Mauser), Ian R. McLeod (Paige Fellows), Julia G. Wachs, John D. Wachs, Jason B. Wachs (Brooke Bullman), Megan A. Wachs (Christopher Tschinkel), and Laura R. Wachs; five great-grandchildren; sister, Suzy Ziemer (Raymond “Bud”); and many beloved nieces and nephews and their children. She was predeceased by her husband, John, infant brother John, and sisters Gayle Schultz and Evelyn Hollenbeck.
Vesta was a member of First United Methodist Church in Gulfport and a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood both in Gulfport and Huntsville. She was fiercely proud of having served her country as a Marine and participated in many veterans’ activities throughout her later life. Her greatest joy was in raising a family and being involved in their lives. Vesta will be greatly missed, but her legacy will continue in the many humorous stories she told and memories of those who knew and loved her.
There will be a Celebration of Life and reception on Saturday, January 12, 2019, from 2-4 p.m. at the Redstone Village Club Room. She will later be interred near her husband at Floral Hill Memory Gardens in Gulfport. Laughlin Funeral Home is assisting the family.
The family wishes to thank the staff of Radiology of Huntsville, Huntsville Hospital, and Redstone Village Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living, for their loving care and compassion during Vesta’s last two months.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, Gulfport, MS, or a charity which improves the lives of veterans.
