Velma Mae Goforth
September 29, 1935 – February 13, 2024
Velma Mae Goforth, 88, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at Pleasant Valley Manor. Funeral services were held Sunday, February 25, 2024, at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, with burial in Orient Cemetery in Harrisonville.
Velma was born on September 29, 1935, in Hume, MO, the daughter of John William and Frances Jewel (Henley) Wright. She graduated from Rich Hill High School in 1953 as class salutatorian. She spent her early years in Rich Hill and moved to Harrisonville in 1968. Velma lived a life full of love, joy, and cherished memories. She worked for Wal-Mart in Harrisonville for 22 years, primarily as a dedicated department manager in sporting goods, before retiring in 1996. She was known for her hard work, kindness, and unwavering commitment to her family. Velma loved to hunt and fish, and her hobbies included oil painting, crafting, and collecting anything and everything with an owl. She was a Baptist.
The most important people in Velma’s life were her grandchildren. They called her Grandma Velma and it made no difference to her if they were related by blood, marriage or simply by choice. They will miss her.
Velma was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, Cloyd “C.L.” Galloway; her second husband, Ray Goforth; her son-in-law, Barry Hogge; her daughter, Linda Burnett; and two brothers, Charles Calvin, as an infant, and John L. Wright. She is survived by her daughters: Leta Hogge, Gladstone, and Deborah Millikan, Harrisonville; six grandchildren: Sean (MaryBeth) Hogge, Nick Hogge, Angela Hollingsworth, Buddy Hollingsworth, Jr., Lori Littlejohn, and Douglas Halley; 12 great-grandchildren: Lorelei, Whitney, Mariem, Sarah, Michael, Eric, Hailey, Alyssa, Dedra, Shiloh, Dallas, and Jackson; one great-great-granddaughter, Layla; brother-in-law, Gary Goforth; nephews: Matt Goforth and Phillip (Amy) Goforth; great-nephew, Grant, and great-niece, Gracie.
