Anna Cecelia Johnson Vernon

Anna Cecelia Johnson Vernon passed away on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at Grace Healthcare in Abingdon, Va. Anna was born on November 26, 1915, in Jeffersonton, Va., where her father ran a general store. She lived most of her life in Culpeper.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Elias Mauzy and Teresa Parr Johnson; her husband of 46 years, Claude M. Vernon; her brothers, Harold P., Elias M. Jr., William P. (Billy), and Adrian M. (Pat) Johnson; and her sister, Pauline (Polly) Miller. Surviving is her daughter, Cecelia V. (Bunny) Powell, of Blacksburg; and her son, C.M. (Monty) Vernon Jr. and wife, Brenda, of Abingdon. She is also survived by seven grandchildren, Jon Powell and wife, Jackie, of Elko, Nev., Steven Powell, of Durham, N.C., Laura Bateman and husband, George O. III (Trey), of Roanoke, Anne Brooke Powell, of Chapel Hill, N.C., Leann Vernon, of Abingdon, Mark Vernon and wife, Jennifer, of Aldie, and Jeff Vernon and wife, Amanda, of Fredericksburg. Also surviving are seven great-grandchildren; her brother, Bobby B. Johnson and wife, Betty Lou, of Garden City, S.C.; and three sisters-in-law, Frances-Wright Johnson, of Culpeper, Laura Lee Wilson, of Richmond, and Elsie Cleaton of Norfolk.
Anna had wonderful memories of her earliest childhood years growing up in Culpeper on what is now Gardner Street. She and her siblings spent happy summers playing in Mountain Run in the area in front of her family home, which is now Mountain Run Park. She attended school in Culpeper until her father died in 1928. She spent the remainder of her school years living with relatives in Washington, D.C., where she graduated from Roosevelt High School. She has been a member of Culpeper United Methodist Church since the 1940s where she taught Sunday school and enjoyed being a member of the team that visited residents in local nursing homes. In 2000 she moved to Blacksburg where she attended Blacksburg United Methodist Church and Blacksburg Christian Fellowship. She was a member of Blacksburg's Bible Study Fellowship group for seven years. She spent her last year as a resident of Westhaven Retirement Living in Abingdon and attended Abingdon Bible Church.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 12, 2009, at Clore-English Funeral Home, 1190 James Monroe Highway, Culpeper, Va. 22701 with the Rev. Robert Donnelly officiating. Interment to follow in Culpeper Masonic Cemetery, Culpeper. The family will receive friends from 6 until 8 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 2009, at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be grandsons, Jon Powell, Steven Powell, Mark Vernon, Jeff Vernon, and Trey Bateman; and nephews, Ron Johnson, David Johnson, and Michael Miller. Honorary pallbearers will be her many other nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in her memory to Samaritan's Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org) or Hospice of Southwest Virginia, 301 E. Valley Street, Abingdon, Va. 24210. The family would like to express appreciation to the staffs of Westhaven Retirement Living, Abingdon Family Healthcare, Johnston Memorial Hospital, and Grace Healthcare for their kind attention to our mother. Online condolences may be offered by visiting clore-english.com. The family has entrusted Clore-English Funeral Home with these arrangements.