Connally Funeral Home

A memorial service for Dr. Virginia Connally will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 13 at First Baptist Church in Abilene. Visitation will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Apriul 12 at Hamil Family Funeral Home. Connally died Sunday. She was 106 years old.Her alma mater, Hardin-Simmons University, will honor the memory of Dr. Connally during University Chapel on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. The service will be both live streamed and recorded for later viewing on Hardin-Simmons University’s YouTube page at youtube.com/user/HardinSimmons.

She was 106. Connally died at 7:34 a.m. Sunday at Ascension Providence, an inpatient hospice facility, in Waco. She had lived since October at Stoney Brook of Hewitt, an assisted living and memory care facility near Waco. A memorial service for Connally will be held at 10 a.m. April 13 at First Baptist Church. Visitation will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 12 at Hamil Family Funeral Home. 'She was my pastor' Connally came to Abilene in 1930 to enroll at Hardin-Simmons University. Soon after, she joined First Baptist Church and had remained a faithful member since. For the past 24 years, her pastor has been Phil Christopher, who was with Connally and her family Friday. “Really,” Christopher said, “the fact was, she was my pastor.” Connally was well known for several traits, among them her keen intellect and love of learning, her penchant for sending handwritten notes, and her generosity in sharing books she enjoyed with others. One of Christopher’s favorites was her gift of “The Sacrament of the Present Moment.” “That was fitting for her,” Christopher said, “because every moment for her was sacred.” ...