Judy Poe, of Say Hay Farm, Fairmont, passed away Nov. 16, 2021, after a short illness following surgery.
The daughter of Pauline Rosenmerkel and Russell Gross, she was born July 21, 1938, in Fairmont and was a proud graduate of East Fairmont High and West Virginia University.
In 1961, she married her high school sweetheart, Ned Poe, and soon became an Army spouse, as they served postings in Chicago and Fort Richardson in Alaska. Returning to the Mountain State, she lived in Union, New Martinsville and Morgantown while Ned worked for Farmers Home Administration of the USDA. They built a home on the family farm in Marion County in 1990 for retirement.
She was proud to be the first-grade teacher at Arnettsville Elementary from 1973-1998, helping hundreds of children learn to read and get their first taste of the adventure of learning. She was an active member of Gateway United Methodist in Fairmont and previously Spruce Street United Methodist in Morgantown.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ned; her parents, Richard Rosenmerkel and Ethel Gross; an infant brother, Terrance; and numerous close cousins.
She is survived by her best friends, her daughters, Jill and Shelly; sisters, Linda Hays and Bev (Gary) Laing; brother, Richard (Kathy) Gross; brothers-in-law, Daniel (Elizabeth) Poe and Steven (Susannah) Poe; traveling buddy and cousin, Annette Talley; and beloved cousins, nieces and nephews.
The family requests memorial donations be made to the Arnettsville branch of the Morgantown Public Library, 373 Spruce St., Morgantown, WV 26505 (memo: Arnettsville — Judy Poe); or to the Mary Priscilla Circle, Gateway United Methodist Church, 301 Diamond St., Fairmont, WV 26554.
The family will greet visitors at Ford Funeral Home, 201 Columbia St., Fairmont, WV 26554, from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18, and from 10 a.m. until the services begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 19. Interment will follow at the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Fairmont.
Condolences:
www.fordfuneralhomes.com
