Virginia "Ginny" Estes

Virginia Estes, lovingly known as "Ginny," passed away on Friday, January 24, 2025, at the age of 73.

She was born on October 23, 1951, in Paterson, New Jersey, to Glenn and Marian (Conklin) Kimbell. Ginny was raised in the beach town of Wildwood Crest and graduated from high school there in 1970.

After high school, she worked as a telephone operator for Bell Telephone. One day in the summer of 1972, she met Ted Estes at a local coffee house ministry where Ted led bible studies. He was working there on a summer mission trip. When Ted returned in the summer of 1973, their connection grew stronger around ministry and God's word. Ginny and Ted married on January 4, 1975.

The couple spent their first year of marriage in New Jersey before moving to Fort Worth, Texas, where Ginny became a stay-at-home mom, dedicating herself to raising her family. Over the years, the family moved a few times before settling in Claremore, Oklahoma, in the mid-1980s.

As the wife of a pastor, Ginny was a devoted servant of Christ and a leader in her own right. She participated in mission trips to Russia, Costa Rica, Africa, and beyond, was a teacher in the church, and was a powerful prayer warrior who believed in the strength of prayer.

Ginny’s love for the beach was unmatched. She often joked about how a beach lover like herself ended up in landlocked Oklahoma. Known for her wit, humor, and memorable one-liners, Ginny also enjoyed playing the guitar, playing Scrabble, and watching Cary Grant movies. Above all, her greatest joy was her family.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Glenn and Marian Kimbell.

Ginny is survived by her husband of 50 years, Rev. Dr. Ted Estes; her sons, David Estes and wife Sherri, and James Estes and wife Lindsey; her grandchildren, Michaela, Andrew, Jeremiah, Sara-Elizabeth, Simeon, Abigail, Barnabas, and Obadiah; her sister, Sandra Kimbell, her children Jeremy Banes, Carrie Russell and their families and many extended family members and dear friends.

Ginny will be remembered as a faithful servant of Christ, a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a cherished grandmother. Her legacy of love, humor, and faith will live on in the hearts of all who knew her until that hour when the trumpet sounds and the dead are raised imperishable. Then that which is written will be fulfilled, “Death is swallowed up in victory."