OBITS: Virginia M. Gallien; Ouachita, Louisiana
Submitted by: Dorothy Rinehart Taylor West Monroe, La.
Source: The News-Star, Sunday, September 3, 2000.
Date: Sep. 2000

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VIRGINIA M. GALLIEN Services for Virginia M. Gallien, 84 of West Monroe, LA,
will be 10:00 A.M. Monday September 4, 2000 at the Feazel Chapel at First
Baptist Church in West Monroe, LA with Rev. Mark Finn officiating. Burial
will be in the Twin Cities Memorial Gardens Cemetery under the direction of
Mulhearn Funeral Home in West Monroe, LA. Mrs. Gallien died August 30, 2000
at the Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Born and educated in
Caldwell Parish, LA, she was the daughter of Wealtha Allbritton and William
McDonald, and was married to the late Louis T. Gallien. Mrs. Gallien retired
from the News Star as an accounting Clerk. She leaves to cherish her
wonderful life and achievements her living family members including one
daughter, Janice Carter of Little Rock, Arkansas, a son, Ronnie Gallien of
Sarasota, Florida, seven grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren and five
brothers who preceded her in death. Mrs. Gallien was a member of the First
Baptist Church of West Monroe for more than fifty years. She was a member of
the Annie D. Bennett Chapter No. 181, order of the Eastern Star where she
served as Grand Officer on numerous committees for the State Grand Chapter
of Louisiana, served as Worthy Matron twice as well as in most other
stations of the chapter. She was recently honored for fifty years as a
continuous member. A high spirited competitive individual, she was active in
the Senior Olympics during the last eleven years of her life. Participation
included bowling, frisbee, horseshoes, darts, basketball shooting, washer
toss, shuffleboard, and fast walking. Competitions attended included: the
North Louisiana Games, State of Louisiana and State of Mississippi, Senior
Olympic Games where she won 56 medals including sixteen gold medals. In 1996
she attended the National Senior Olympics in Tucson, Arizona where she
placed sixth in the nation in horseshoes. She will be remembered by her
family and friends as a person with the desire and courage to win against
all odds, but humble and with a smile always considerate of everyone else
when the competition was completed. Honored with a feature article in the
News Star in 1997 regarding her Olympic endeavors, Keith Prince, Staff
writer, said it best: "Concentration, form, execution, reaction. This was
worth watching: sports in its purest form and 82-year-old Virginia Gallien
was the perfect poster girl. Lover of outdoors and all sports, she
participated in bowling leagues for forty years around the Twin Cities. She
was an avid spectator of high school and college events, but the love of her
life was attending games and cheering for her children, grandchildren, and
family members as they participated in sports in the Tri State Area and
fishing was a very special pastime of hers. She was known as a warm, loving
family woman, neighbor, and friend who enjoyed helping others. An avid and
wonderful cook, many of the sick, disabled and elderly persons in the
community received the benefit of this, her favorite household chore. Her
kind, gentle, considerate, and always smiling disposition was contagious to
anyone who was fortunate enough to meet and be associated with her. Her
devotion to those she loved never faltered and will be deeply missed and
always remembered. Pallbearers will be Kirk Gallien, Greg Gallien, Gary
Gallien, Rob Brucks, Brett Carter and Allen Jones. The family will receive
friends from 5:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. Sunday at Mulhearn Funeral Home in
West Monroe, LA. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church Building
Fund in West Monroe. Obituary published on 09/03/00 in The News-Star