Virginia Lee Wade-Walker 95, St Joseph died Friday, October 10, at Wathena Healthcare &Rehabilitation Center following complications from an injury.

Virginia was born and raised in Savannah and graduated from Savannah High School in 1948. She attended Maryville Teacher's College before moving with her first husband, Gerald J. Murphy (deceased), to West Covina California where they started a family.

Greg R. Murphy born in 1951 and Shawn D Murphy in 1958. The family moved to St. Joseph in 1959 and have been here since then. Both children survive her. Don't take that the wrong way, she was lovely...most of the time.

In 1972 Virginia married Edward F. Grove (deceased). Together they owned and operated Grove Printing Services beginning in 1979 until Ed died in 1993. After that she and her daughter Shawn continued the printing service adding a graphic design department.

In 1998 she married William Walker (deceased) and they enjoyed retirement together until he died in 2017. Having outlived all of her husbands, her family lovingly refers to her as the "Black Widow."

Virginia was a long time member of Wyatt Park Christian Church and also sang with Sweet Adelines traveling with them to London in 1977 to compete at Internationals in Royal Albert Hall. We all went with her and it was an exciting time, the 8 hour plane ride on the chartered discount jet was dicey, but they served free cocktails so that helped.

Virginia was not a drinker, but once, the night before her daughter's wedding she tried the plum wine at the Chinese restaurant in Omaha and it was hilarious...great memories there. She had the best laugh. Once she got tickled by something she would laugh clutching her sides until she cried and was gasping for air. There was nothing funnier than watching Mom hyperventilate with laughter.

She was always prepared for any situation that may arise much like a soldier on the battlefield or a boy scout. We often made jokes about the back seat of her car which was stocked at all times with every item you might need in any event that could possibly ever happen including, but not limited to, a nuclear holocaust. Nothing could happen to her that she wasn't prepared for. Besides the usual assortment of neck braces, corn pads and a pharmaceutical collection that could rival Pfizer, she carried food and water just in case her blood sugar dipped or she felt the need for hydration. Having been raised during the depression she was prone to stashing away, in the extra closet, all sorts of essentials...Kleenex, toilet paper, light bulbs, tooth paste, laundry soap, you name it, she had an extra one.

She was very practical our mother, hence her incarnation of Santa Claus each year provided loads of yuletide entertainment for the whole family. You never knew what you might find in your Christmas stocking...maybe a cherry flavored Chapstick (used), one of those pens that writes in three colors with the garage sale sticker still on it or a home-made recording of Disabled American Veterans singing Christmas Favorites.

Much to the chagrin of her children she was an avid recycler as is evidenced by the hoards of plastic bottles, tin cans, paper products and empty boxes that line the walls of her laundry room. As her family we cannot just put it all into the rented dumpster. No, we must haul it all to the recycling center, and we shall...in her honor.

In closing we have to mention the light of her life, her only grandchild, Ben W. Gulledge. Grandma would do anything for Ben. We always sent him in to negotiate, especially in those last days because she didn't want to move to the retirement village or go to the healthcare and rehab center, but she did it when he asked her to, and as a result in the end she was able to have a mostly pain free and peaceful transition.

Additional survivors: a brother, Ronald G. Wade (Kathy) of St. Joseph, a sister, Sharon Johnson (Jay) of Provo Utah, stepdaughter, Amy Laxson (Chris) of Agency, and many nieces and nephews too numerous to mention.

The family has opted for a private family gravesite service.