Virgil H. Huston

AIKEN, SC – Virgil H. Huston, 94, died Thursday, May 3, 2018.   He was born in the Griggs Community in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, on April 7, 1924 and was the son of the late George W. Huston of Knoxville, TN and the late Ethel Hanes Smith of Oak Ridge, TN. He moved with his wife June from Bloomfield Hills, MI to Hilton Head, SC in 1981, where they lived for 16 years prior to moving to Aiken in 1997.   Mr. Huston graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1950, where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He was also a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Delta Sigma Pi honorary Fraternities. Mr. Huston maintained a deep sense of loyalty to Sigma Phi Epsilon throughout his life and served as Chairman of the fraternity scholarship foundation for several years during his retirement.   He was a life member of Corinthian Lodge No. 414, a 32nd Degree life member of the Scottish Rite and a life member of the Al Menah Shrine Temple in Nashville, TN.   Mr. Huston was a Naval officer and served as a fighter pilot during World War II. He served as a Combat Information Center Officer aboard the USS Block Island during the Korean War.   He was employed by General Motors for thirty years, first with the Oldsmobile Division then with the General Motors Overseas Division and finally, in the GM Central Office Headquarters in Detroit. During his GM career, he and his family moved thirteen times to such places as South Africa, Japan, Honolulu and many cities in the continental US. During his assignments with General Motors Overseas, he served as vice-president and Board member for three GM subsidiaries. His last assignment before retiring in 1981 was Director, GM Dealer Organization Worldwide and as a vice-president of GM Overseas.   Following his retirement to Hilton Head Island, he became an avid golfer and an avid gardener. He was Chairman of the Long Cove Club Architectural Review Board and the Community Services Committee. He was a charter member of Providence Presbyterian Church in Hilton Head and a member of First Baptist Church in Aiken. He and his wife June were members of Woodside County Club and The Green Boundary Club in Aiken.   Early in the year 2002, Mr. Huston completed the longtime project of writing and publishing his “Memoirs,” which was very well received by the dozens of friends and family members who received a copy of the finished work. The praise and complimentary comments he received for his efforts turned into a significant “high point” of his later years.   Mr. Huston is survived by his wife, June Rose Huston; two sons, Virgil H. Huston, Jr. of Trenton, SC, William D. Huston of Shreveport, LA; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was the last remaining sibling of his family.   A memorial service will be held 1:00 PM Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at Shellhouse Funeral Home with the Reverend Dr. Fred W. Andrea III officiating. The family will receive friends following the service. Interment will be in the Jacksboro, TN Cemetery at a later date.   In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Aiken’s First Baptist Church, 120 Chesterfield St. NE Aiken, SC 29801, Alzheimer's Association National Office, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or to a charity or one’s choice.   SHELLHOUSE FUNERAL HOME, INC., 924 HAYNE AVE., AIKEN, SC (803)642-3456 To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Virgil H. Huston, please visit our flower store.