Muriel Agnes Virgo

Muriel Agnes Virgo passed away Wednesday evening, July 25, 2012, in Anaheim. She was born April 3, 1924, in Liverpool, England, and married John Virgo on August 13, 1942, in Lewish, England. Muriel and John moved to Orange County in 1952 and established the Virgo Family Swim School on Brookhurst Way in Garden Grove, which they operated from 1965 until her retirement in 2003. Muriel is listed in Who’s Who in America and holds the world’s record for back stroke in the Senior Olympics. Her volunteer work included the American Red Cross and Girl Scouts of America. Muriel was also a lifetime honorary member of the Garden Grove Parent Teacher Association and was a long-time member of Saint Columban’s Parish in Garden Grove. Muriel delighted in teaching children to swim, even tiny infants, singing to them as she lovingly cradled them in the water. Hobbies included singing and ballroom dancing with her husband, John. She is preceded in death by her 3 brothers Patrick, Harold, and James, her sister Veronica, her parents Harold and Susan Franks, her daughter-in-law Laureen Virgo, and her son-in-law Mark Hamilton. She is survived by her husband John, her 2 sons John and his wife Katherine, and Collin, 3 daughters, Angela, Barbara, and Donna, 7 grandchildren Deby and her husband Ed, Alicia, CJ and his wife Torrie, Ryan, Brandon, Justin and Nathaniel, and 4 great-grandchildren Adam, Troy, Katrina and Eli. A memorial service will be held August 1, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the Dimond & Shannon Mortuary, 10630 Chapman Avenue, Garden Grove. (www.dimondshannonmortuary.com) In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association of America.