Viola Ruth (Hart) Minning, 87 of New Point, passed away on Monday, December 26, 2022.
Born on the family homestead farm south of New Point in Decatur County, Indiana on October 26, 1935 to Marshall and Edith (Cook) Hart, she was the third of six children. Viola graduated from New Point High School in 1953 as class valedictorian and won several medals in state English and typing contests. She won the county spelling bee and the Voice of Democracy contest and was a member of the county champion girls’ volleyball team.
Shortly after graduating she began working at the Greensburg Daily News as a proofreader and later worked at the Decatur County REMC in billing and computer programming and at the telephone office as a service representative, retiring when the local office was closed.
Viola was married June 13, 1954 at the New Point Christian Church to Donald Ray Minning and they had three sons, Donald Jr., Paul and Thomas. They lived in Greensburg many years and Don was a member of the Greensburg Fire Department for 38 years. Their home became known as the ‘Christmas House’ as Viola had collected and created hundreds of themed trees in every room. They held an annual open house to share them and were featured on Channel 8 Indianapolis in 1994.
After they moved back to New Point to help care for two of their grandchildren, Viola began working in the New Point sewage office and was elected for four terms as New Point Clerk-Treasurer, continuing as office assistant when her granddaughter, Clarise, was elected and assumed the office in 2016.
Viola enjoyed reading newspapers and doing all the puzzles in them, Bible study, gardening, specially flowers, fishing, mushroom hunting, antiques, painting and collecting works by local artists and gospel music. She served as organist at the First Christian Church in Greensburg for many years and as one of several pianists at the New Point Christian Church since then and was a member there. She was a charter member of the Decatur County Historical Society and the New Point Kiwanis Club. She was a member of the Fifty Club Extension Homemakers. She helped many years with the town Crackaway Daze Festival and was well-known for her prize-winning pies, especially sugar cream, and her special macaroni and cheese. She wrote a special song for the festival and it is sung there every year. She wrote the words and music for several hymns and choruses for special occasions.
Viola was preceded in death by her husband, Don in 2012 after 58 years of marriage; her son, Donnie in 1979 after he had undergone home dialysis for five years and a kidney transplant from his brother Paul, who died in 2016; her parents; her grandparents, John and Elnora (Colson) Cook and Ed and Ida (Snedeker) Hart, two brothers George Earl Hart and John Edward Hart; and one sister, Mary Louise Hart.
She is survived by one son, Thomas (Jamie) of New Point; her six grandchildren who were her pride and joy: Thomas Jr. ‘Tuggy’ and Carol Minning of Lexington, IN; Trenten and Ali Minning of Greensburg; Melana and Bobby Scudder of Greensburg; Meredithe and Eric Adkins, of Greensburg; Friedrich Minning of Greensburg and Clarise Minning of New Point; three step-grandchildren, Lauren, Ana and Owen Arreola of New Point; and her seven special great-granddaughters: Aubrey, Olivia, Rosie, Elizabeth, Maisie, Victoria and Leia; one great-grandson, Orion Adkins; two sisters, Ida (the late Jim) Harrell of Kokomo and Betty (the late Stanley) Lemmons of Greensburg; and one sister-in-law, Phyllis Hart of Greensburg.
Visitation will be Friday, December 30, 2022 from 4-7pm with funeral services at 10:00am on Saturday, December 31st all taking place at the New Point Christian Church. Mark Vice officiating. Burial will follow in the Rossburg Cemetery.
Memorials may be given to New Point Christian Church by bringing to the services or mailing to Meyers Funeral Home, P.O. Box 202, Batesville, IN 47006.
You may leave a memory or message of comfort for Viola’s family in the online guestbook at www.meyersfuneralhomes.com.