Virginia Outland Drislane

Virginia Drislane died peacefully on February 17 at her home in Corona del Mar, California. Virginia was 94 years old and is survived by her children Jan West, Louise Laugenour and Dennis Drislane; her grandchildren Brendan Drislane, Justin West, Matt West, Dorian Drislane and Danielle Drislane; and her great grandchildren Noelle Drislane, Julia Drislane, Carolyn West and Colin West. Her husband John, son John, parents George and Elvah Outland and sister Elvah, preceded Virginia in her death.

Born Virginia Jane Outland in Syracuse, New York in 1921, her father George was a Colonel in the Army so Virginia had the opportunity of living in many different places while growing up. Her favorite location was the island of Oahu, well before Hawaii was a state. She lived there between 1926 and 1930, when the only mode of transportation to and from the Hawaiian Islands was a long and arduous voyage by ship.

Virginia met John Drislane, a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland in early 1942, just after he had enlisted in the Army. John was transferred to the West Coast in preparation for deployment overseas and he and Virginia were married at the Presidio in San Francisco on August 1, 1942. John went overseas to serve in World War II shortly thereafter, and while he was gone, their first child John was born in Pomona, California on May 24, 1943. Alone on the West Coast with her baby, Virginia and John junior made a long train ride to Albany, New York to stay with the Drislane family. John senior came from a family of eleven children, so Virginia had plenty of support during the war years.

Upon John's return in 1945, John and Virginia lived in Albany, New York where Jan, Dennis and Louise were born. With the launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1956, the space race was on, and John joined Aerojet General in Sacramento, California as a solid fuel engineer working on rocket propulsion systems. So in the summer of 1956 John, Virginia and the kids piled into their station wagon and drove across country to start their new life in California.

Virginia lived in Sacramento for 44 years, moving to Southern California in 2000. She lived at the Terraces in Corona del Mar for the last 14 years, where she was surrounded by friends and family. Virginia led a long and full life as a generous, caring mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and always made people she was with feel welcomed and loved. She was a wonderful person that her family and friends will all miss.

Virginia will be laid to rest next to her husband John at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Sacramento, California.