Godspeed, Mrs. Puller

[thedrifter]

Godspeed, Mrs. Puller

Victoria Evans Puller, the wife of Lieutenant General Chesty Puller, has passed away. Funeral services are on Saturday. She was 97 years old.

If I need to tell you about Chesty Puller, then you belong somewhere else...

Godspeed, Ma'am.

Rest In Peace

Ellie

[GySgtRet]

May you rest in peace with the general Mrs Puller. Peace be with the puller family.

[yellowwing]

In the words of the most important speech ever given:

Quote:

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

[BigAlHolmes165]

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Semper Fi, Ms Puller, Semper Fi.

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[bigdog43701]

very sorry to hear of her passing. i met chesty and mrs. puller once in 1971 (just priot to his death) in washington at an evening parade at 8th & i. they are two very good people. she has gone to be with the general.

[greensideout]

A story that Marines here might enjoy.

A Marine friend of mine decided to go to the home of Mrs. Puller to pay respect to the Lady that was married to a legend. This was well over 20 years ago.

When she opened the door he proceeded to give his respects to her. Mrs. Puller asked him if he would like to see Chesty's Medals and invited him in. When she returned to the front room she was carring a shoebox. She opened it and there in the box were the Medals of this legendary Marine.

RIP Mrs. Puller.

Semper Fi,
GSO

[thedrifter]

Mrs Lewis B. Puller

The Old Dominion Chapter of the 1st Marine Division Association is saddened to report the death of a very dear friend.

Virginia Evans Puller, the widow of Lt. Gen. Lewis B. Puller, USMC, died yesterday at the age of 97. Services will be conducted at 3 PM on Saturday, 11 February at Christ Church Parish. Interment will be in the church cemetery, Christ Church, Va. (the area is about 4 miles East of Saluda, Va.).

Semper Fi.

Floyd D. Newkirk, O.D. Chapter Secretary

[yellowwing]

Virginia Puller, widow of Marine Corps hero
February 7, 2006
NEWPORT NEWS -- Virginia Montague Evans Puller, the widow of U.S. Marine Corps hero Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, died Saturday at her home in Saluda. She was 97.

A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday at Christ Church in Middlesex County, where her husband was buried 35 years ago.

Virginia Montague Evans was 29 when she married then-Marine Capt. Lewis Burwell Puller in Saluda. The new Mrs. Puller followed her husband while he served in China, Hawaii and across the United States. During World War II and the Korean War, she returned to Saluda and raised their children - Virginia and twins, Martha and Lewis Jr. - while "Chesty" Puller burnished his reputation as a courageous Marine. During his military career, he earned the Navy Cross a record five times.

The Navy Cross is the corps' second-highest decoration behind the Medal of Honor.

After Puller's retirement from the Marine Corps in 1955, the couple settled in a house in Saluda near where Mrs. Puller grew up.

Lewis Burwell Puller died in 1971. The couple's son, Lewis Burwell Puller Jr., the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Fortunate Son," died in 1994.

Mrs. Puller is survived by her two daughters and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was the Marine Wife of one of our greatest heroes since before WW-II when he was just an anonymous young officer. God bless her and keep her

[rb1651]

Rest in peace, Mrs. Puller. Your time here is done, enjoy the rest of eternity in the arms of your husband.

[thedrifter]

Borrowed from Mark's place

From Samantha Speaks' Blog



Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, considered by many to be the greatest fighting man ever to pull on Marine boots1, didn't marry until he was 39. He had known the woman he would marry all his life but didn't realize the freckled faced daughter of a family friend had grown into a beautiful woman until 1926 when he ran into her at a dance in Urbanna, VA. It was that night that he decided to marry Virginia Evans.

Lewis was the quintessential Marine, but was seriously lacking in the skills of courtship. Virginia was the belle of the ball and had caught the eye of most of the men in attendance. Lewis had managed to dance with her three times but his attempts at conversation were awkward. Before his fourth dance with her he decided to use the direct approach and so with great confidence he asked her staight out to marry him. Of course she said no. Her excuse was that she hadn't finished school yet, but she was impressed that he had not danced with any other women all night. Before he left for his next post in Hawaii he sent her three very rare orchids at a cost of $10, a large sum of money in 1926. Her joyful letter to him evoked the following reply; "Marry me, and I'll buy you three dozen orchids every month of your life."2

For eleven years Lewis corresponded with Virginia from his various duty stations all over the world, sending her gifts and reminding her of his desire that they wed. Virgina had long been known by her friends as the independant, career minded girl and so it was no surprise that at age thiry she was yet unmarried. When Lewis was posted to Philadelphia in 1936 he intensified his campaign to marry her.

Virginia was impressed by Lewis' devotion. He wrote to her every day and his letters were full of passion:

I love you so very much Virginia, that I will never be happy unless you are. I would not want you to marry me, if I had the least idea that I could not make you completely happy. I would rather that you were married to some other man and for me to know that you were happy. You are so fine and you have had too much sorrow in this life. From now on life must be different. Your happiness is all that matters to me.3

Lewis and Virginia were married on November 13, 1937, and in every way she was the perfect match for him. Her independant nature allowed her to survive their constant separations and the strain of him being at war. Together they had three children, Virginia McCandlish born in May of 1940 and Martha Lee and Lewis Burwell Jr. born in August of 1945.

Virginia Evans Puller died Saturday, February 4, 2006, she is survived by her two daughters and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren . There is very little written about her, however, in her long life she loved and was loved by one of the finest men to ever wear the uniform of the United States Marine Corps. She also endured some unimaginable sorrows. Her son, Lewis Jr., lost both legs and most of his hands in Vietnam and even though he graduated from law school and raised a family, he suffered from severe depression and in 1994 took his own life. Her husband died in October 1971; she outlived him by 35 years, as many years as God gave them together. She must have been one incredible woman!

Footnotes:

1 Burk Davis, Marine!, (Little, Brown and Company, Inc, 1962), back cover.
2 Ibid, p 44.
3 Lt Col Jon T. Hoffman, USMCR, Chesty, The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC, (Random House, New Yourk, 2001) p 118.

[thedrifter]

Will Virginia Puller Get the Same Respect as Mrs. King?
By Tammy Bruce

She certainly deserves it. While Coretta Scott King deserves respect, she also was a media darling. There are some heroic women who live more quiet lives as they support a husband who did great things for our nation. Virginia Puller is one of those women. You in all likelihood don't even know who she is, specifically because she didn't march around, or hold press conferences, engage in politics or court the media. Virginia Puller, the wife of heroic Marine legend "Chesty" Puller, died last Saturday. Her funeral is set for this Saturday. Will the president be there? Does Bill Clinton care? What are Jimmah Carter's plans?

Virginia Montague Evans Puller, the widow of U.S. Marine Corps hero Lt. Gen. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, died Saturday at her home in Saluda. She was 97...Virginia Montague Evans was 29 when she married then-Marine Capt. Lewis Burwell Puller in Saluda. The new Mrs. Puller followed her husband while he served in China, Hawaii and across the United States. During World War II and the Korean War, she returned to Saluda and raised their children - Virginia and twins, Martha and Lewis Jr. - while "Chesty" Puller burnished his reputation as a courageous Marine. During his military career, he earned the Navy Cross a record five times. The Navy Cross is the corps' second-highest decoration behind the Medal of Honor.

That's right. MLK and everyone else involved in the civil rights movement in the '60s owe their right to demonstrate in a free country to the actions of men like Puller and the support they received from their families. And while Americans who happen to be black do owe a great deal to MLK, the reality is they owe as much if not even more to the American military in general which has kept this nation safe and free, allowing activists to continue their work here at home.

Tammy Radio and Blog are speaking with the White House to see what official presence our government will have (or not) at Mrs. Puller's funeral this Saturday. I'll get you an update as soon as I know. The shame of it all is that I'm not sure what to expect, and the White House has not had an immediate answer for us.

[MOUNTAINWILLIAM]

May she rest in peace. We shall all meet one day on the other side of the river.

Semper Fi

[BOOGIEMAN44]

May She Rest In Peace With The Gen. And In The Presents Of God.

[BigAlHolmes165]

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Please visit the Guest Book for Virginia Montague Evans Puller.


http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?Id=GB16644958X


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[Gary Hall]

Sincerest condolences to the General Puller Family. It was and will always be a distinct honor to be able to say "I once worked for Chesty Puller", Gary Hall, PFC, W-3-1, 1950 - 1951, Tlyler, TX.