Glenna Marie Nichols Hefner died Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, following a long and impactful life of more than 100 years. Born May 28, 1922, to the late Luther M. and Ida Mae Butler Nichols, Glenna grew up in Nicholas County, WV, where she attended Enon Baptist Church.
She later studied business and English at Alderson-Broaddus College before pursuing graduate classes at Marshall and West Virginia Universities. She and her late husband Carlos, a sheriff’s deputy who she met at a high school football game, married in January 1947 and lived in White Sulphur Springs since 1962. They were members of First Presbyterian Church.
Glenna taught at several schools before moving to White Sulphur, where she worked at White Sulphur Springs High School. Later, she transitioned to Greenbrier East, teaching accounting and typing. Beloved by her students, many of her former pupils kept in touch over the years with several crediting her classes as the inspiration for their own successful careers. Glenna joined the Alpha Zeta chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa Honorary Society for Education Teachers in 1969 and served in a variety of leadership roles for the organization, including as President in 1992.
Smart, loyal, mischievous and feisty, Glenna was known by many in the area as “Mother H” as she nurtured hundreds of relationships through her longtime service at the West Virginia State Fair. She began working full-time each summer in the administrative offices of the Fair in 1957 and continued for 42 straight years, assisting with thousands of entries and earning prestigious accolades such as Distinguished West Virginian; Outstanding Achievement and Meritorious Service; a National Future Farmers of America Honorary State FFA degree; and the 2000 Fair and Festival Hall of Fame for the State, among other honors.
Glenna retired from teaching in 1983 and from the Fair in 1999, but she wasn’t one to sit quietly and relax. She remained active with countless hobbies, including painting, sewing, knitting and crossword puzzles. In fact, she won numerous awards from her own entries in the Fair post-retirement. Following her husband’s death in 2014 after more than 65 years of marriage, Glenna remained committed to her independence and continued to live in her longtime home, receiving family and friends and keeping busy with her crafts until moving to the Brian Center in fall 2021 following an illness.
In addition to Carlos, Glenna was preceded in death by her sister, Mary P. Stone and brother, Melvin H. “Bud” Nichols.
She is survived by son, Carl Dean; daughter-in-law, Linda; granddaughter, April and grandson-in-law, Rev. Greg Rumburg; sister, Louise Legg; special niece, Carol “Sis” Campbell; sister-in-law, Virginia Nichols; friend and neighbor, Pastor Greg Scott; and an abundance of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Fiercely protective of everyone she loved, Glenna will be remembered by all for her sly grin, strong will, generous nature and kind spirit. She will be greatly missed.
Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9 at Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in White Sulphur. Revs. Scott and Rumburg will officiate a celebration of life service Saturday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m., also at Wallace & Wallace, with burial to follow in Mapledale Cemetery.
Please send online condolences by visiting www.WallaceandWallaceFH.com
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