Willie Jane Weeks Farris

Willie Jane Weeks Farris, 94, of Salem, passed away peacefully on April 21, 2025.

She was born November 7, 1930, in Willis, VA. A 1948 graduate of Willis High School with honors, she went on to earn her nursing degree from Lewis Gale Nursing School in 1951.

Willie enjoyed a long and meaningful career in nursing. She worked at Lewis Gale Hospital, Bristol Memorial Hospital, and with the American Red Cross. She also served as the plant nurse for Eaton Yale and Towne, eventually retiring from Lewis Gale Hospital.

She was a longtime member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, The Nightingales (graduates of Lewis Gale Nursing School), and the Eastern Star. Willie was known for her love of gardening, knitting, and crafts—always finding joy in creating things with her hands.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William Cody Weeks and Laura Ada Hylton Weeks; her husband, Fred Jackson Farris; daughter, Nancy Ellen Farris; siblings, Alreda Poff, Norene Webb, Loucreta Brooks, Weeda Weeks, Eula Hurd, Nell Slusher, Jo Ann Britts, and Gibson Cody Weeks; and nephew, Nelson Poff.

Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Susan Elaine Farris Moore (Robert Moore); grandchildren, Catherine Elaine Worsham, Walter Jesse Worsham, and Audrey Jackson Worsham Bound (Leeward Bound); great-grandson, Walter Joseph Worsham; sister, Kate Keffer; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends at Lotz Funeral Home in Salem on Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 10:00 until 11:00 a.m. A funeral service will follow in the chapel at 11:00 a.m. Interment will take place at Sherwood Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or Camp Holiday Trails in Charlottesville, VA.