On April 22, 1931 a feisty, stubborn and bright little girl was born to Gladys and Willie Keith Swisher in Agency, MO. She was the second of four girls born at a time when most folks didn’t have much money, but according to her, they made the best of it! She never really cared for “girl” things much to her mother’s chagrin and could be found quite disheveled playing baseball or basketball, or tagging along as often as she could with her dad who coached high school basketball. The love of sports she would carry for a lifetime. She was a bright child, skipping a grade in elementary school, attending college, leaving her home in Saint Joseph, MO and moving to the Plaza area of Kansas City in her early twenties. She found work with the Department of Family Services, where she stayed for a distinguished 42-year career that started as a case worker and ended as Area Director for the State of Missouri. Always a champion of the downtrodden and underserved, she was especially fond of foster care and the wonderful foster parents and children she met. She also loved her coworkers, especially the “kids” who worked for her in what she called the outhouse of the Federal Building.
Along the way she married Bill Allgaier and had three children, Jenny Scott
(Dan), Mike Allgaier (Lori) and John Allgaier, all of whom she was immensely proud. Her life was complete with the addition of four grandchildren, Lauren (Anthony), Molly (Billy), Sam and Luke; and three great grandchildren, Francis, Danny and Maeve.
Never one to sit around for long, she volunteered with Assistance League, was a Silver Life Master bridge player, served on the Board of Directors at Safe Haven and was a poll worker for most major elections. She loved politics and sports, especially baseball, and was an avid Kansas City Royals fan with an uncanny ability for stats. She enjoyed cocktails at 5 o’clock, a good joke, crossword and jigsaw puzzles. She also loved travel and the trips she took to Europe and the Caribbean. The highlight was a family trip to Siesta Key, FL where at age 80, she parasailed!
She was predeceased by her parents, Keith and Gladys, sisters, Ann Smith (Art) and Shirley Meyer (Darrell), and Bill Allgaier. She is survived by her sister, Sue Mayer (Dick), children and spouses, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the McCrite family and staff, Northcare Hospice (Stephanie) and Tahariah Ross for their care and compassion. Virginia lived a full and blessed life, enjoying 87 years of great health.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a private family service and inurnment on November 27, 2020. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Northcare Hospice at 1500 Meadow Lake Parkway, Suite 200, Kansas City, MO 64114 or KCHospice.org/support.
