By Staff
Virginia Winter Anderson, of 22 Rockwood Drive, Ottawa, passed away Tuesday, October 19. Her family will welcome friends and acquaintances to a visitation at her home on Friday, October 22 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. There will be a family memorial service and burial. Virginia was born October 10, 1926 in Lawrence, Kansas to Fay Young and Milton Shipman Winter, Sr. In 1948, she married Robert Bennett Anderson who died in 1999. In addition to her husband, her parents, one brother, Milton Shipman Winter, Jr, and a grandson, Jordan Robert Anderson, preceded her in death. She is survived by her four children, Janet Anderson Bradbury, Washington, NC, Carol Anderson Armstrong and husband Chris, Lawrence, Ks, Bert Douglas Anderson and wife Jan, El Dorado, Ks, and Robert Bennett Anderson, Jr, Lawrence; one brother, Winton Allen Winter and wife Nancy, Ottawa; eight grandchildren, Catherine Bradbury, Kristen Anderson Bathurst, Anderson Bradbury, Virginia Armstrong, Hannah Anderson, John Armstrong, Will Armstrong and Philip Anderson; and four great-grandchildren. Growing up, Virginia lived in Garnett, Lawrence and St. Marys, Kansas. In 1944, she graduated from Lawrence Memorial High School where she was the school’s first homecoming queen. She graduated from Kansas University in 1948 with a Fine Arts Degree. At KU, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta and served as the chapter’s President. Later, while serving as Chairman of the sorority’s House Corporation Board, she spearheaded a major expansion and renovation project. Virginia was cofounder of the Kansas chapter of the Learning Disabilities Association and served on the Board of Directors of the national organization, lobbying Congress and advocating for parents and children both nationally and locally. She was a member of Grace Episcopal Church, Ottawa, where she served on the Vestry, Altar Guild and Thrift Shop Committee. She was also a founding member of GL Chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. Virginia was an avid gardener and skier and continued to ski with her grandchildren well into her 70’s. She was also gifted at many types of needlework and designed and/or produced several large needlepoint projects, including design of altar and communion kneelers for Grace Church. Virginia designated either playground equipment for Ottawa City Park or her church as a memorial in lieu of flowers. Gifts for either purpose may be noted and sent to the VWA Memorial Fund, c/o Peoples Bank, 5th and Main, Ottawa, KS 66067. (Arrangements: Cremation Society of Kansas &Missouri, 8837 Roe, Prairie Village, KS 66207; 913-383-9888)
Paid Obituary