Virginia A. Grady, age 94, of West Fargo, ND, died Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at Eventide Fargo.
Virginia was born on November 21, 1925, in Fargo, ND, to Stewart and Vivian (Ellis) Roden. She attended grade school in Ulen, MN, and high school in Fargo where she graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in 1944. She attended NDSU for one year and finished her education at Interstate Business College.
In 1944 she worked in Chicago filing US Bond stubs until the end of WWII. Virginia married James R. Denis and to this union 5 children were born; Jay Richard, Christopher “Kit” Ryan, Angela Mary, Marcia Renee and Stewart Joseph. Virginia suffered great sadness at the loss of her oldest son, Jay Richard, who died after serving in the Vietnam War. Virginia and James later divorced, and she married Edward Merrill in Fargo. She worked at NDSU until he was sent to Beulah, ND, where she found employment as a secretary at Dakota Gasification Plant. After retiring Virginia and Ed moved to their retirement home on Eagle Lake near Park Rapids, MN, then to another home on the Bay of the Fish Hook River. They had many good times there until Ed’s health failed and they moved to the Fargo-Moorhead area. Ed died in February 2006 after a long battle with cancer. Virginia then joined a water aerobics class where she met and married Thomas J. Grady, who made life “worth living” for both of them.
Virginia will be deeply missed by her husband, Thomas of West Fargo; children, Christopher “Kit” (Mary) Denis of Harwood, ND, Angela McCloskey of Fernandina Beach, FL, Stewart (Sandy) Denis of Bismarck, ND; 7 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; siblings, David (Maryann) Roden of Duluth, MN and Sue (Bob) Thomson of Duluth, MN.
She was preceded in death by her son, Jay Richard Denis; her daughter Marcy Denis; parents, Stewart and Vivian Roden; her sister, Phyllis (Tom) Sorensen and her brother, Donald (Doreen) Roden.
Visitation: 9:30 am - 10:30 am Monday, October 12, 2020 in West Funeral Home, West Fargo
Memorial Service: 10:30 am Monday in West Funeral Home
Placement: 2:00 pm Monday Fargo National Cemetery, Harwood, ND
West Funeral Home & Life Tribute Center
westfuneralhome.com
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