Liza Wilkins

Published 9:13 pm Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Liza Wilkins, 88, passed away on Sept. 5, 2016. She was born in North Carolina to the late J. Frank Sr. and Saintie White. Liza will be remembered for her feistiness, as she was lovingly nicknamed “Sassy Pants” by her family. She also had a great love for chocolate, and with her daughters, would play a game every year to see who could find dark chocolate covered cherries when they came in season. At 70 years old, she could still beat her grandchildren in the basketball game “Horse” with her fierce left hook. Liza was a member of the Suffolk Library Board. She was a former president and treasurer of the Holland Women’s Club. Liza was a member of Holy Neck Christian Church. She was a retiree of Dominion Power Company. Liza is predeceased by her first husband, James Ralph Smith, and second husband James W. Wilkins. She is also predeceased by two sisters and five brothers.

Left to cherish her memory are daughters, Candy Smith Young (Bob), Arie Lea Wilkins Throne (Bill); brother and best friend, Sam White (Dolly); sister-in-law, Alice Forrester; grandchildren, Scott (Shawn), Brandon (Jeff), Jeff (Kelly), Eric (Sarah), Jared (Haley); great-grandchildren, Zach, Kyle, Chase, Mattox and Levi; along with many nieces, nephews, and friends.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, at R.W. Baker & Co. Funeral Home and Crematory, 509 W. Washington St., Suffolk, with Pastors Bill and Jeff Throne officiating. Burial will follow at Holly Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be offered to the Alzheimer’s Association, 6350 Center Drive #102, Norfolk, VA 23502. Condolences may be offered at www.RWBakerFH.com.