Virginia Eleanor Wilkins

VIRGINIA S. WILKINS

24 February 1924 - 8 August 2011

Our wonderful and amazing mother died in her sleep on Monday, 8 August, in Sequim, WA. Born in San Francisco to Vernon and Mildred Summerfield, Mom was raised in Santa Monica, CA and was a life long Girl Scout. Her adventurous life really was kick-started when she headed north to UC Berkeley during WWII to study Chemistry. She worked at Shell Development as a chemist then joined all her friends heading to Los Alamos, New Mexico to work on post Manhattan Project government efforts. She married Ben Hayward in 1946 and their children, Carole, Scott, and Bill were born during the next four years and Southern California became their new home.

She was a Red Cross Grey Lady at the Downey, CA Veterans’ Hospital and a Girl Scout Neighborhood Chairman. While residing in Malibu, CA she studied Zoology at Northridge State University and then taught Junior High Biology in Calabasas, CA and Richland, WA.

She married John Wilkins in 1979 in Kennewick, WA and subsequently settled in Sequim. They enjoyed travel, music, opera and volunteering. Virginia was an early volunteer with the Clallam County Juvenile Services CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) - Guardian ad Litems and became the director in 1987; training and supervising many volunteer guardian ad litems, as well as conducting custody studies and dependency evaluations to help improve the lives of many Peninsula children. She also served CASA at the state level, was a member of the State Ombudsman Committee for Children, and a life long League of Women Voters member. She loved volunteering as a mediator with the Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center (PDRC) since its inception in 1993. Wherever she lived, she was active in her parish community, most recently at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sequim. Everyone loved Virginia’s incredible character, intelligence, razor sharp memory, her dry wit, generous spirit and humor. She left her family and friends a remarkable legacy of community involvement and Christian good works.

Her two sisters, Delores and Mary, her husband, John, Son in Law, Buck Lightell and granddaughter Monica Lightell, all preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughter Carole Lightell (Steilacoom), grandson, Dan Lightell (Bend, OR), son & wife Bill & Norma Hayward (Kennewick),grandson, Greg Hayward (Cheney), granddaughter, Suzanne Hayward (San Francisco), son & wife Scott & Liz Hayward (Clayton, CA), grandson, Mike Hayward (Chico, CA) and granddaughter, Kitty Hayward (Santa Barbara, CA), and numerous special nieces, nephews and friends whose lives she touched.

Very special thanks to friends Judy Tozzer and Ann Kanters who were her attentive and loving angels in many ways these last few years.

Such a gentle and wise woman dedicated to her family and community! We sure are going to miss you, Mom!!

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sequim Food Bank, or the Monica Lightell Scholarship fund at Pacific Lutheran University.

Arrangements under the direction of Sequim Valley Funeral Chapel, Sequim, WA.