Obituary of Oneta B Wherry

Oneta Faye (Ballew) Wherry, 94, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 24, 2016, at Green Hill Nursing Home in West Orange, New Jersey. Oneta was born June 7, 1921, in Norton, Texas, to Joe Clyde and Verdi (Ellis) Ballew. After high school, she graduated from Gail Business College in Abilene, Texas, and worked as an executive secretary in Abilene while attending two years at Hardin Simmons University. In 1943, she enlisted in the U. S. Navy (WAVES) and served until the end of WWII, attaining the rank of Yeoman 1st Class. Oneta was stationed in Oklahoma, New York, and finally in Seattle, where she met John Decker (Jack) Wherry. They married November 1, 1947, in Abilene, Texas, and she came home with Jack to Maquoketa, Iowa. For many years, Oneta helped Jack manage the family hotel and restaurant business at the Decker House. She became a travel agent and operated the Happy Travel Agency in Maquoketa for more than ten years. Oneta worshipped at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church for more than 60 years, serving the Women’s Auxiliary, the Altar Guild, and on the Vestry. She was a founding member and two-time President of the Maquoketa Garden Club. She was also a founding and “Life Member” of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and an active volunteer with the Jackson County Historical Society. Oneta was preceded in death by her husband, Jack; her son, John Decker Wherry II; and her brother Johnny Dale Ballew. Those left to honor Oneta’s memory include her daughter: Barbara (Robert) Meyer, Montclair, NJ; grandsons John (Siobhan) Meyer West Orange, NJ; Matthew (Nyjah) Meyer, Boca Raton, FL; and two great-grandchildren, Kylie and Jackson. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Maquoketa, or to Camp Courageous at www.campcourageous.org.