Virginia Vale Thomas

It is with love and sadness the family of Virginia Thomas announces her passing on in Nanaimo, BC.

Virg was born on May 6, 1924 in Portland, Oregon, the third child of Glen and Virginia AnDyke. She was raised in a large and loving extended family and spent many happy days and holidays with her aunts, uncles, and cousins. After graduating high school in Portland, she enrolled in nurses training at Emmanuel Hospital. When she earned her R.N. in 1945, she immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army, much to the chagrin of her father and brothers who served in the US Navy in WWI and II respectively. As a 2nd Lieutenant, she took great pleasure in having her older brothers salute her! She served from 1945 to 1946, at Letterman Hospital in San Francisco and on the USS St. Olaf. After her discharge she returned to Portland where she nursed at Emmanuel Hospital – for seven years in the newborn nursery, then after taking further training, seven years in surgery as a nurse anesthetist.

Virg “retired” from nursing in June 1960 to marry Len Thomas and move to the great, wild north of Victoria, BC. She spent the rest of her married life in Victoria, where she devoted herself to her husband and two children. Virg loved to travel. She and Len built their first travel trailer and the family spent their summers camping and travelling all over western North America. She loved to sew and knit and the members of her “sewing group” became life-long friends.

Virginia will be deeply missed her loving son and daughter and three grandchildren. She also leaves a beloved sister-in-law, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews and great nieces and nephews to remember her.

Virg will be interred with Len at Royal Oak Cemetery in Victoria, B.C.

Many, many thanks to the staff at Nanaimo Senior’s Village for their loving care of Virginia.

There will be no service at her request.