Viola “Vi” Anna Helena McCright, 101, of Lincoln, NE, former 60+ year resident of Wahoo, NE, died Friday, October 26, 2018 at her home she shared with her only child & family, in Lincoln, NE.  She was born September 28, 1917 in Ithaca, NE to Fredrick and Emma (Thoms) Filbrandt.  On March 23, 1940, Viola was married to Joe Friel McCright in David City, NE.

Joe and Viola both had to work very hard as most in those days.  Viola had various jobs through the years. Vi worked at the Elgin watch factory in Lincoln. She plucked chickens for the lower women’s wage of 5 cents / hour, standing 3 feet deep in feathers (no EOE nor OSHA rules then) at Wahoo Poultry, later to become the ‘Onion factory’, North of the City Park, Pool & the now defunct Bowling Alley but Wahoo Sanitation and the J & V trucking business with her husband Joe kept them busy for most later working years. Vi drove trucks and did the office work. Before seat belts or any type of child restraint car seat, Vi would keep little Tommy safe by putting him inside an old tire wedged in on passenger side using one arm to hold Tommy in place during bumps or breaking and still be able to safely drive with the other.  Vi & Joe both enjoyed dancing at Dance Island in their early life, mostly Polka & Lawrence Welk music but soon hard work became the need & norm.

Vi later crocheted for pleasure, donating most of her hand made art for churches. Vi loved playing cards, with her Wahoo Senior Center and Westview friends or anyone who could keep up.  Viola was a member of Presbyterian Church of Wahoo and Crestwood Christian Church in Lincoln, NE.

She is survived by her only child, Thomas “TJ” (Tom’s wife, Vi’s daughter in-law Shari) McCright of Lincoln; grandchildren, Joseph Ronald (Joey’s wife Hannah) and Callie Anna(who’s middle name is a tribute to Vi), youngest brother and sister in law, Larry & Linda Filbrandt of Omaha NE.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Fredrick and Emma; sisters, Evelyn, Marcella and Marilyn; brothers, Raymond and Jr. “Bud”.