1921 – 2012
Born in Spokane, Washington to John Grady and Leta Hill Moore.
Younger, adoring sister to Jack. Jack was killed in the Phillipines during WWII.
Dancer. Pretty little ballerina feet she always pampered.
Relocated to California while a teenager. Always loved the water. And the beach. And surfers.
Eloped with David Gilpin Williams in 1939. They didn’t tell anyone and went on living as they had until Virginia’s father began complaining about all the time Dave was spending hanging around. Dave attached their certificate of marriage on her bedroom door and spent the night.
A few years later (50 to be exact!) they married again. In a church. With a minister…
And their three children plus spouses, seven grandchildren plus spouses, and four great grandchildren. (There are now 11 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren with another on the way).
Let’s just say they were well chaperoned.
But that didn’t always matter.
Revered mother to Nancy, Janice & David Jr.
Pioneer. She moved with Dave to the desert when no one else was there.
She loved kitties and Christmas and dolls and granddaughters. (She loved grandsons too, but I think she had a sweet spot for granddaughters).
In the early days, when her kids all had small kids and lived away from “home”, the families would all come home for Christmas. The louder, the messier, the more chaotic the better for Virginia. She was the first one up and loved it more than anyone.
Because of the magnetic pull of home, all three Williams siblings eventually settled back in the small community where they were raised.
There was no longer the need to spend the night at Virginia’s home on Christmas Eve since everyone lived within 15 miles of each other. No matter, we did it anyway until there were just too many (and our backs became old and we could no longer camp out on whatever square of floor we could find).
This alteration in tradition was only acceptable if all were present and accounted for by 5:30 am. And if you weren’t there, she called you until you were.
Honored grandmother to Lisa, Matthew, Jeff, Adam, David III, Cathy, Gina (Virginia Ann), and Donna (who passed away as a child).
Business woman, travel agent and world traveler. She’s been to more places than I can even name or locate on a map.
David died surrounded by family in 1996 after nearly 57 years of marriage.
At the age of 78, she married Edwin Schick. Retired Colonel in the Marines and decorated veteran of 3 wars. They were married for 11 years before he passed away in 2010.
She slipped through the veil after living nearly 91 years holding her daughter’s hand in her own home. As with much of her life, she named her own terms.
She was my grandma.
And I miss her already.
