Virginia Yates

Virginia Scarborough Yates passed away peacefully on May 7, 2014. She was born September 27, 1936, to Viola Scarborough Cashwell and William Vance Scarborough outside of Asheville, North Carolina. She was a child of the mountains. While you can take the girl out of the mountains, you could not take the mountains out of the woman she became. She attended Lee Edwards High School and the Woman's College at Greensboro UNC-G. At UNC -G she sang in multiple school productions and thrived in the camaraderie of her classmates. She graduated in 1958, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education. While attending UNC-G, she ventured on a blind date that would forever change her life. She met Charles William Yates, whom she married after graduation and with whom she spent her life until his death in 1998. Together they raised two daughters, Debora and Anne. She taught grade school in the Raleigh school system after graduation, but found her passion to be teaching kindergarten. She taught kindergarten at St. James United Methodist Church and New Hope Baptist Church in Raleigh. She taught school for over thirty years and retired to care for Charlie as he struggled with illness before his passing. She enjoyed playing bridge with the "girls," and exploits with Charlie and the "gang" from Burlington. She delighted in spending time with her grandchildren Rob, Sam, and Mary and never tired of playing games and reading stories. She loved gardening, arranging flowers, and listening to jazz. She could often be found covered in paint, wallpaper paste, or potting soil as she took on a decorating or gardening project. In her later years she struggled valiantly with the ravages of dementia. She always had a quick smile and a hug for the ladies at Elsie's. She is loved and missed by her family and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents Viola Scarborough Cashwell and William Vance Scarborough; her husband Charles William Yates; and her daughter Debora Yates Owens Robert Owens of Louisburg, NC. She is survived by her daughter Anne W. Yates Timothy Bryggman of Helena, Montana; her grandchildren Robert Owens, Sam Bryggman and Mary Bryggman; her son-in-law Robert Owens; and her brother William G. Scarborough Irene of Columbia, SC. The family will be receiving friends at Lowe Funeral Home and Crematory in Burlington Saturday May 17, 2014, at 9:45 am prior to a service at 11:00 am in the Lowe Funeral Home Chapel followed by a graveside service at Pine Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made the Salvation Army. The family would like to thank the ladies of Elsie's Place for their care and love for Virginia, and her dear friends who continued to visit her throughout her later years.