Only 10 days after her husband and partner of 80 years left the bonds of earth, Virgie Potts Young, 96, followed on Jan. 29, 2022.

A longtime resident of Post, Virgie Christine Potts Young was born May 27, 1925, in Jack County, Texas, second child and only daughter of Hugh Dinsmore and Ada (Ainsworth) Potts.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Sterman Young, on Jan. 19, 2022; both parents and brothers C.L. Potts, Vernon Potts, Weldon Potts and James Ray (J.R.) Potts. Also, grandson Brent Bolin and son-in-law Pete Daniel.

Virgie attended early grade school in Bryson. She and one of her brothers rode a horse to catch the bus and left it in a neighbor's pasture until time to ride it home in the afternoon. At around 10, she was involved in 4-H where she learned to sew and other useful skills.

Over the next few years, the family moved to a farm near Fort Belknap and Newcastle, then to a farm near True in northern Young County, then to a farm in Markley in January 1941. Virgie was a sophomore and rode the bus to high school in Jermyn. It was during this time that she met the Young family, who lived nearby.

Sterman and Virgie "ran off' and married on July 3, 1941, in Walters, Okla. She was 16 and he was 20. They celebrated their 80th anniversary in 2021 and were recently featured in news nationwide for being able to get together at Covenant Health in Lubbock after being separated with COVID. See the Jan. 18 post on Covenant Health's Facebook page, or www.newsweek.com/til-death-do-us-part-separated-covid-couple-married-80-years-reunitedhospital-1670870.

The newlyweds moved to Jermyn and rented a small house. Sterman worked in the oilfield and Virgie kept house until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which shut down the oilfield. They headed off to California to find work, ridesharing with a car full of strangers also headed that way.

Sterman worked in the shipyards as a pile driver and received two draft deferments because they couldn't find a replacement for him, but in August 1944 he was finally drafted into the U.S. Army. Before shipping out to Europe in January 1945, he moved Virgie and Ginny (born in 1943) to Panhandle, Texas, to stay with her parents, where her dad worked at the Pantex Plant. Virgie got a job at the local co-op as a bookkeeper.

When Sterman returned from the service in 1946, they bought a house in Graham with the first GI loan in Young County. They hadn't even had time to put in a yard when Sterman was asked to work in the booming oilfield in Post in 1947 and they moved.

Virgie got a job at the Postex Cotton Mill, where she learned to be a weaver. They moved to the oil lease in 1948 and lived in a company-owned house. Gary was born in 1950 and Nina in 1952. Virgie kept busy with their growing family, and as the children got older, worked in town as a bookkeeper for several businesses, including a local doctor and a local well servicing company.

They moved into town in 1978 and bought a house. After 35 years, Sterman retired from Fina in 1982 and the couple traveled with their Airstream trailer to campgrounds and fishing holes all over the west, including Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Alaska.

Virgie always kept busy with crochet, sewing, needlepoint, ceramics or quilting. Every family member has a custom crocheted throw or afghan. She was an excellent seamstress and made many of her own clothes, along with the girls' clothes when they were growing up. She also had an eye for interior design and knew how to put together a warm, comfortable and stylish home.

Sterman and Virgie both loved to play games and could be found many nights and weekends around a game table with family or friends and a winning hand of dominoes or any number of card games.

She was a member of the Post Church of Christ and was active with the Garza County Trailblazers, the local senior citizens' organization.

She is survived by all three children: Virginia "Ginny" Bolin and husband, Sam, of Abilene; Gary Young and wife, Peggy, of Denton; and Nina Daniel Watson and husband, Bill, of Kingman, Ariz.; two granddaughters: Betsey Bolin Craig and husband, Tom, of Abilene; Tracy Daniel Johnson and husband, Lee, of Cisco; two great granddaughters, Amanda Johnson Lee and husband, Brenden, of Columbus, Ind.; and Ashley Johnson of Weatherford; plus one great-great granddaughter, Aubrey Jo; and a host of nieces and nephews.

Visitation was held Monday evening from 5:30-7 p.m. at Hudman Funeral Home in Post. A graveside service will be Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at Markley Cemetery in Young County. Tom Craig presiding. Memorials can be made to the charity of the donor's choice or the Garza County Trailblazers.