News : Vicki Abernathy: Woman of the Year

The 'cooks' announce that Vicki Abernathy is the VWC Woman of the Year Tuesday.

Dorothy Albert speaks to the crowd about Vicki's life.

Connie Ogier presents Woman of the Year Vicki Abernathy with her plaque and scrapbook.

Every day, Vicki Abernathy calls many of her friends to see how they are doing.

Every year, she marks the grave of a soldier who died next to her father on Iwo Jima.

Throughouth the year, she helps with her church, the Vinton Women's Club and other organizations in a variety of ways, from making phone calls to cheesy potatoes.

For those reasons and countless others, the Vinton Women's Club is honoring Vicki as its Woman of the Year.

The club surprised Viki with the honor during its annual spring banquet Tuesday evening at the Vinton Country Club.

The club invited Vicki's family members, friends and even her classmates from Urbana. Several people shared memories about Vicki and the tough times she endured and the people she has helped.

There were also several displays and newspaper clippings that helped tell the story of Vicki's life. One display honored Vicki's Flower Center on A Avenue. Other displays recalled her years in the Vinton American Legion Auxiliary, of which she is a lifetime member.

Speakers also praised Vicki for her toughness in facing tragedies, including the death of her teenage brother Ricky just before Christmas of 1967, and the death of her son, Kirk, at age 6, in 1977.

"She's been through some scrapes," said Dorothy Albert, who organizes and leads the skits that honor each Woman of the Year.

Last year's Woman of the Year, Connie Ogier, presented Vicki with a bouquet of flowers, her plaque and a scrapbook, which already contained a few letters of congratulations.