BANNING, Calif. — Virgil Irvin Massey passed away peacefully at home in Banning, Calif. on February 11, 2023, at the age of 93. V

Virgil was born on April 27, 1929, in Lane, Ill. to William Arthur Massey and Opal Shaw. He graduated from Nixon Township High School, in Weldon, in 1947.

Virgil served in the United States Army from February 1951-November 1952. He served in active combat duty in Korea for more than 11 months, earning the Korean Service Medal with the Bronze Campaign Star, Combat Infantry Badge, and the United Nations Service Medal.

In addition to working on his parents’ farm during his early years, Virgil spent a lifetime working as a carpenter, and after retirement, as a handyman. He worked as a carpenter for small, independent construction companies for many years in Illinois and California, as well as working at the Caterpillar plant, in Decatur.

He continued as a carpenter in the maintenance department for the County of San Bernardino, Calif. in 1972, and later was promoted to maintenance supervisor. Virgil retired from the County in 1987.

Virgil met his late wife, Ann Elizabeth Whittam, who passed away in October 2022, at the Elks Lodge, in San Bernardino, and later worked on her mountain home in Crestline, Calif. They married in 1995 and eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nev., where they lived for many years before relocating to Banning, Calif. in 2015 to be closer to family.

Virgil is survived by his daughter, Linda Sevison, Longview, Wash.; his son Dana Massey, San Tan Valley, Ariz.; his stepdaughters Claudia Oyster, Mill Creek, Wash., and Libbie Gerenday, Talkeetna, Alaska; his stepson John Whittam, Yucaipa, Calif.; 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life for Virgil and his late wife, Ann, will be held at a later date in California.