Virginia Ann White
April 14, 1932 to January 5, 2025
Virginia Ann White (Kelly) was born on a Murdock Minnesota farm on April 14, 1932 in the middle of the Great Depression. She was the second child of the large and closely-knit family of Howard and Esther Kelly.
The family had deep roots in both the United States and Minnesota. On her mother’s side, Virginia traced her ancestry to the pre-revolutionary times. Family lore says that she was descended from Robert Morris, a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Her maternal great-grandfather Terence McGovern was in Sherman’s Army that marched to Atlanta in the Civil War. On her father’s side, her great-grandfather Anton Schwingler was an early pioneer immigrant to the Minnesota Territory prior to statehood. The farm where she grew up was named a “Century Farm” in the 1990’s and is still in the Kelly family today.
She attended Country School in a one-room schoolhouse near the farm, and developed a lifelong curiosity and love of education and the civic institutions of America. She received her Teaching Degree at St. Cloud Teacher’s College, and taught at Starbuck Minnesota.
On February 27, 1954, Virginia married the love of her life, Edward J. White. The two had met at a roller skating event hosted by Ed when they were both teenagers. The couple set up their household on the far western edge of Minnesota, in Brown’s Valley, where Ed owned a body shop. As the family grew, they moved to Benson (in 1958) and then to Windom (in 1966).
Throughout her long life, Virginia devoted her main energies to her family. She was a devoted and loving daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was also very involved in a range of community activities. She was a substitute teacher in Windom Schools. She was an active member of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. She was an enthusiastic member of the Tourist’s Club and the Windom Concert Association, both some of the oldest community associations in Minnesota. She was an avid golfer in her younger days, and was a member of several Windom bridge clubs over many decades. She had an intense lifelong interest in current events, and a deep love for America and its democratic institutions and traditions.
She will be remembered for her compassion, her empathy and the enormous love that she shared with her family and friends.
Virginia is survived by her three children, Richard (Patti Ring) White of Paynesville; Tom White of Windom; Beth (Jeff) White Cummins of Glencoe; six grandchildren, Melissa (Kyle) MacPherson, Ashley (Mike) Johnson, Krystle (Jason) Ella, Ryne (Nicole) Cummins, Kelsea (Cole Horner) Cummins, and Alex (Michelle) Romano; and twelve great grandchildren, Addy, Molly and Mason (Melissa’s); Aviana, Cameron, Chase, and Spencer (Ashley’s); Kaydence and Landon (Krystle’s); Oliver (Ryne’s); Eli and Emily (Alex’s); and several nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her two brothers, John Kelly and Frank Kelly (Elaine), her sister Rose Kelly, and her long-time close Windom friend, Tommie Sotebeer.
Virginia is preceded in death by Edward James White, her husband of sixty-two years; her parents, Howard and Esther; her sisters Louise Kelly, Katherine Quinn, Mary Celeste Flynn and Teresa Dahl; her sister-in-law Pam Kelly, her brothers-in-law Mike Quinn, John Flynn and Jack Dahl, and her daughter-in-law Linda White.
The family wishes to express its deep appreciation to all the people at Mikkelsen Manor, residents and staff alike, for the care and love they provided during the last two years of Virginia’s long life.
A Celebration of Virginia’s Life will be held at Windom Community Center on Monday, January 13 from the hours of 4pm to 7pm to commemorate Virginia’s 58 years in Windom.
Virginia’s funeral and burial will be held on Tuesday, May 6th at 11am at the Sacred Heart Church in Murdock Minnesota. Virginia was baptized and married at Sacred Heart Church. She is going home.