Virginia Hininger

Virginia Abbie (Fry) Hininger, a life-long Barton County resident, age 90, passed from this world to her heavenly home on March 19, 2022 after a long illness and residence at Truman Health in Lamar, MO.   The second oldest of six children, she was born November 2, 1931 to Alfred and Clara (Stephens) Fry in a tenant farmhouse east of Lamar at the height of the Great Depression. During her youth, she worked alongside her father and brothers in the fields and barns tending to crops and animals. She attended various rural one-room schools and graduated from Lamar High School in 1949.  She married the love of her life, Earl M. Hininger, on April 15, 1951 at Oakton Methodist Church.  They raised their two children and worked and expanded their farm together until Earl’s untimely death in 1969. She continued to farm with her son full-time until 1984 and raised Hereford cattle for several more years.  It was rare at that time for a woman to run a farming operation.  In semi-retirement, she worked part-time at the Barton County Health Department.   Her unwavering faith in God, her personal relationship with the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit and biblical scripture carried her through life’s challenges and sorrows, always looking forward to the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ her Savior.  Along the path of her Christian journey, she was active in the Oakton United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, bible study groups and Women’s Aglow Fellowship.   In her retirement years, she enjoyed tending and sharing the bounty of her large vegetable garden, baking, especially homemade rolls and pies, listening to gospel music and the companionship of her Australian Shepherd dogs and several barn cats throughout the years.  She also enjoyed traveling, especially her annual Fall trips to visit her sister’s family in Colorado and witness the beauty of the Fall foliage of the aspen trees in the Rocky Mountains.   She is survived by her son, Danny Hininger and wife, Patty, of Lamar, MO; her daughter, Lisa Friedemann and husband, Mike, of Lamar, MO; her sister, Carolyn Ettleman and husband Fred, of Rye, CO; three grandchildren: Margie Bowman of Lamar, Elizabeth Hininger of Joplin, MO; and Andrea (Donny) Martin of Seneca, MO; nine great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren and several cousins, nieces and nephews.   Preceding her in death are her parents, Alfred and Clara Fry, her husband, Earl Hininger, four brothers, Carl, Steve, Bill and Frank Fry, and her only grandson, Lewis Hininger.   Family visitation and a celebration of her life will be held at Daniel Funeral Home in Lamar on Friday, March 25, 2022.  Visitation begins at 1pm and a Celebration of her life begins at 2 pm followed by interment at Oak Grove Cemetery in Oakton Mo.   In lieu of flowers, contributions in her honor may be made to the Oak Grove Cemetery Fund or the Lamar Animal Shelter.   Her family also thanks the caring and dedicated staff of Truman Health in Lamar for their efforts to make her final years as comfortable as possible, especially while facing the extraordinary challenges of protecting vulnerable residents during these past two pandemic years.  We are grateful to all of you.