Virginia E. O'Neill

Virginia E. O’Neill, 91, passed away peacefully in her home at Park Meadows Assisted Living in Overland Park, Kansas on September 27, 2019. Her visitation will begin at 12:00 pm, followed by a Memorial Mass at 1:00 pm on Friday, October 11, 2019 at Cure' of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, Kansas 66206.

Virginia was born August 28, 1928, the eighth child of Patrick John and Mary (Janisch) O’Neill in Fessenden, North Dakota. She attended grade school at Bowman Consolidated School and attended high school at Heaton, Manfred and graduated from Fessenden High School in 1946.

She earned school money by babysitting, doing housework and working at the Fessenden Cafe. The cafe experience helped her become employed as a waitress at Powers Hotel Cafe in Fargo, where she worked evenings, weekends and vacations, while attending North Dakota Agricultural College.

Virginia lived and worked for a time in San Antonio, TX, Minneapolis, MN and Denver, CO before moving to Kansas City, MO in 1953 in her 20s. When she was accepted as an intern in the School of Medical Technology at Menorah Medical Center, Virginia moved in, for room and board, with Martha and Abbott Sher and their three children, Jim, Dick and Nancy. She continued to lived with them for many years and they became family. Upon completing the program, she was hired as a medical technologist at Menorah. Virginia spent her life as an Angel of God. She never married, she devoted herself to serving others, as a Director of a Laboratory at Menorah Medical Center, where she headed the Department of Serology and Bacteriology for 50 years and when she wasn't working, she was caring, loving and helping family and friends.

Virginia was devoted to two families - her Catholic family, including 11 siblings and over a 100 nieces and nephews; great nieces and nephews; great great nieces and nephews; great great great nieces and nephews; and her beloved adopted Sher Family.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her 11 siblings: Honora “Nora” Schmidt, Francis O’Neill, Maryellen Amundson, James O’Neill, Robert O’Neill, Margaret Whiteside-Hendrickson, Anne Monk, Susan Duke-Perry, Patrick O’Neill, Colleen Erfle and Kathleen “Kay” Mauch as well as Abbott Sher and Martha Sher.

Virginia proudly kept pictures of all these family members in her home. Besides being the family’s historian, she made numerous cross country trips to attend family events. Countless family milestones were enhanced by her presence. She was always there to help out, whether it was helping make potato salad, caring for someone recovering from surgery or celebrating a special event. Virginia also made the greatest cinnamon toast and banana bread ever. She was also a talented artist and loved sharing her creations of water colored rural landscapes, birds, butterflies and flowers with her family and friends.

Virginia’s devout Catholic faith and her positive impact on the lives of so many will always be remembered and handed down through the generations.

A special thank you to the staff at Park Meadows and to her hospice team with Catholic Community Hospice for the wonderful and loving care given to Virginia. The whole family is especially grateful to nephew, Ivan Schmidt and niece, Barb Kauffman, for their loving care and attention to Aunt Virginia over the years. Virginia will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Memorial Contributions may be given in her name to Cure' of Ars Catholic Church or Catholic Community Hospice. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.mcgilleyhoge.com.