Obituary - Virginia E. Dolezal, 95

Virginia (Patterson) Dolezal left the farm for a better place December 10, 2019.

She was born February 15, 1924, in Havre, Montana, the daughter of homesteaders, George Patterson and Evelyn (Eva) Baugh, hailing from Oskaloosa, Iowa. She spent her childhood racing to farmland on her horse to work the fields with her family.

Virginia graduated from Havre High School in 1942. After high school, Virginia attended Northern Montana College where she studied business, and later worked for Buttrey's and Citizens Bank in Havre, and then served as the Hingham City treasurer.

Virginia married Donald "Dewey" Dolezal on her birthday in 1946. After marriage, she and Dewey worked their dryland farm near Hingham, Montana, along with the Spicher family. They retired in 1992. After retirement, Virginia and Dewey moved to their beautiful property on Flathead Lake near Polson, MT, then traveled extensively to Europe, Russia, Australia, Alaska, Mexico and Belize. While in Mexico, Virginia landed a very large yellowfin tuna, and was so proud that she called her son-in-law, collect, to brag about it.

After their travels, the couple began to winter in Tuscany, a retirement community in Yuma, Arizona, where Virginia supplied cookies and Dewey earned the reputation as mayor. Virginia and Dewey moved into Emerald Springs, an assisted living complex in Yuma, in March of 2019, where she was well-taken-care-of.

Virginia was not a pistol, she was a cannon. She took up snow skiing in her 70s and water skied well into her 80s. She was also very good at bucking timber on her property with a chainsaw. Virginia was famous in her neighborhood for her oatmeal cookies and home baked bread, starting by grinding wheat from her farm.

Virginia is survived by her husband, Dewey; daughter Janice (O'Brien); son Jim (Sue); daughter Joan (Patrick); and grandchildren, Nicholas, Marya (Dale) and Erin.

A memorial for Virginia will be held in Montana at a date to be announced later.

Memorials can be sent to your favorite charity in her name.