Thelma Irene Mccarty O'Quinn

In a world too short of good people, we lost one of the nicest women one could know. Thelma Irene McCarty O'Quinn was a resident of the Hermitage in Richmond, Virginia, where she passed gently and gracefully on August 18th, 2023. Persons who encountered Thelma often commented on her regal appearance, positive attitude, self-effacing demeanor, and good listener. She was an active churchgoer, award-winning knitter, orchid grower, maker of Christmas decorations, and she made thousands of Chrismons for churches and personal use. Later in life she constructed and gave away over 300 beaded angels as signs of appreciation and encouragement to women around her.

Thelma Irene McCarty O'Quinn was born May 15, 1930, at Ishkooda Mining Camp which was on Shannon Mountain near Birmingham, Alabama. Thelma was born to her parents, Ernest L. McCarty, Sr. and Nettie Irene Shaw McCarty. Thelma was the last surviving of her three siblings, Joyce McCarty Kirkley, Ernest McCarty, Jr., and Thomas McCarty. Her husband, the Reverend Gene Brown O'Quinn; and oldest son, Robert E. O'Quinn pre-deceased her as well. Surviving family members are her son, The Reverend Dr. James G. O'Quinn and wife, The Reverend Dr. Dorothy McNeer O'Quinn, of Ashland, Virginia, along with their three sons, Reverend Blair C. O'Quinn, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Payne C. O'Quinn, and Vaughn C. O'Quinn, both of Richmond, Virginia. There are just too many friends to mention, except for Mrs. Anne Garrett, of Church Road, Virginia, who became Thelma's best friend and confidant.

Thelma grew up on Dowel Ave in Powderly, which is today in the City of Birmingham, Alabama. She graduated from Jones Valley High School in 1948. She was an active member of Powderly Baptist Church until she followed her husband into the Methodist Church to support his call to preach. A retired civil service employee, Thelma transferred jobs multiple times for the sake of her husband's ministry through the United Methodist Church. She also worked for TCI in Birmingham, Alabama Farm Bureau, The University of Alabama, Bessemer Junior College, and US Steel before becoming a federal employee in 1971.

A Witness to the Resurrection will be held at J.T. Morriss & Son Chapel in Petersburg, on Monday, August 21, 2023, at 2:00 PM, with the Reverend Joseph T. Carson III officiating. Visitation with friends and family will follow the service at the funeral home. Interment will take place at a later date in Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama.

Instead of giving flowers in Thelma's memory, please donate to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR - Hawaii), where 100 % of the money you give will help current victims of the Maui wildfires for much needed emergency aid and with their reconstruction.

You may give in the following ways: Online at https://umcmission.org/advance-project/901670 , toll-free telephone call: 1-888-252-6174, or by check made out to Global Ministries/UMCOR with "Advance #901670-Hawaii" written on the memo line and mailed to UMC Global Ministries/UMCOR, GPO, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY, 10087-9068