Obituary of Verla H Bly

Verla H. Bly, 90, of 915 W. Third Street, Jamestown, NY passed away Friday, April 8, 2011 in WCA Hospital. She was born April 19, 1920 in Falconer, NY to William and Pearl Paxton Herrick. She was the widow of William M. Bly whom she married in March 1971 at First Baptist Church. Verla graduated from Falconer High School in 1938 where she played violin in the orchestra and sang in the choir. Following graduation she worked for A&P Grocery and Quality Markets on W. Third Street. She later worked for 6 years during WWII at Postal Telegraph that merged with Western Union. She went on to work at the Jamestown Post Journal in the teletype department for 10 years as secretary to the general manager. Following this, she worked 16 years for Young Insurance Agency. She went to school and acquired her General Insurance and Life Insurance licenses. She served as a Town of Ellicott Republican chairman. After her marriage, she joined her husband as owners of Village Corner, a ladies apparel store in Jamestown. Following his death in 1984, Verla continued to operate the store until retiring in 2001, closing the store after 30 years. Verla was a lifelong member of Falconer First Baptist Church where she was on the Diaconate and Membership committees. She was a member of the Marvin House. She was a member of the Zonta Club for several years and was once named Zontian Of The Year for her service. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by an infant brother, Ralph E. Herrick. She is survived by her sister, Bernice H. Morey of Falconer, NY; one nephew Benjamin W. (Sharon) Morey of Falconer, NY; three nieces, Joan D. Brown of Jamestown, NY, Carol (Terry) Clapham of Jamestown, California, Debra (David) Hopkins of Goose Creek, South Carolina; several great and great great nieces and nephews. The funeral service will be held at 11 AM Wednesday April 13th at the Lind Funeral Home in Jamestown. Friends of the family will be received Tuesday, April 12th from 4 to 8 PM and for one hour prior to the funeral service on Wednesday at the funeral home. The Rev. Robert D. Lewis, pastor of Falconer First Baptist Church, and Rev. H. Wayne Eppehimer, pastor of the Jamestown Christian & Missionary Alliance Church will officiate. Burial will be in Pine Hill Cemetery in Falconer, NY. Memorials may be made to Falconer First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 47, Falconer, NY 14733.