Virginia Roberts, 94

Virginia Genevieve Roberts, 94, died May 23, 2006, at a local hospital. She had been a resident of Mountain Home since 1993.

As per her wishes, no services will be held. A party to celebrate her life will be held on a date to be announced. Arrangements are under the directions of Rost Funeral Home, McMurtrey Chapel.

Virginia was born April 5, 1912, in Foxburg, Penn., to Stanley and Josephine Michalak. At the age of seven, she moved to Lomita, Calif., with her family. She attended schools there and graduated from Narbonne High School in June, 1930.

Virginia met her husband, Joe Roberts, while working at Van Camp's Cannery on Terminal Island. They were married on Dec. 4, 1933. They lived in Wilmington, Calif., before moving with their children to Etna, Calif., in 1944. There they went into business as Johanson's Confectionery, which later became Roberts Variety Store.

Virginia was a Lifetime Member of the Order of Eastern Star #10, the Rebekah Lodge and the Methodist Church.

In 1993, Virginia moved to Mountain Home. She was an active member of the Mountain Home Senior Center, enjoyed her hobbies of painting ceramics and traveling.

One of her most memorable trips was touring Poland in 1996. While in Warsaw, Virginia was able to visit a childhood friend whom she had not seen for 71 years.

Virginia never met a stranger, her family said. "When returning from a trip, she always came home having made new friends. One of these friends had remained a pen pal since 1981 when they met on a Carribean cruise. She also treasured her many friends that she met at the Knights of Columbus in Mountain Home. She enjoyed many happy hours with them."

Virginia is survived by: her daughter, Denise Wood, of Bend, Ore.; her son, Bob Roberts of Mountain Home; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; three sisters, Rae Potts of Lomita, Calif., Amy Roth of Vista, Calif., and Millie Tyler of Paradise, Calif., and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe, in 1977, granddaughter, Dawn Wood, her brother, Carl Czerwinski, and two sisters, Helen Zink and Rose Dickinson.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Elmore Medical Center Foundation, 895 N. 6th East St., Mountain Home, ID 83647.