Virginia Marie Terfruchte

On a starlit, cool winter evening, at the edge of the Texas Hill Country, Virginia Marie Terfruchte, 87, of Austin, Texas, formerly of 2901 Pinard St., Dubuque, Iowa passed on to her eternal reward. She died peacefully in her sleep Monday, January 9, 2006, at Stonebridge Health Care Center - Austin, her sons at her bedside. Virginia’s funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, Austin, with the Rev. Msgr. Fred Bomar officiating. Burial will be Saturday in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Dubuque, Iowa. Friends in Austin may call from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. today at Wilke-Clay Fish Funeral Home, 2620 So. Congress Ave., Austin, TX. A christian wake service will be held at 7:00 p.m. Friends in Dubuque may call from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday at Hoffman-Schneider Funeral Home, 1640 Main St., Dubuque, IA. A committal service be held at Regina Caeli Chapel, Mt. Calvary Cemetery, on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Virginia was born on November 26, 1918, in Dubuque, the first daughter of Louis M. and Harriet (Selander) Lobstein. As a young career woman Virginia worked for Interstate Power Co. She used to love to spend her lunch hours shopping for clothes, especially shoes and hats, at Roshek’s and Stampfer’s department stores. She had a keen sense of fashion and could have been a very talented fashion designer. She married Robert “Bob” Terfruchte on September 27, 1952, at St. Raphael’s Cathedral, Dubuque. Following their union, they were blessed with two sons. Once her sons were of school age, Virginia returned to work outside of the home, as a temporary for Manpower, Inc. Following that position, she worked in the Business Office of Loras College for 13 years, retiring in 1981. Virginia’s family was the center of her universe. Putting their needs and desires above her own, nothing was more important to her than the health and happiness of her husband and sons. Virginia’s beloved husband Bob passed away in June 1980, leaving her a widow at the age of 61. Despite hopes by her sons that she would find another person with whom to spend the rest of her life, she proclaimed: “One good man in a lifetime is enough!” Virginia loved to travel, and made several memorable trips during her lifetime to destinations including Mexico, Western Europe, Japan and Hong Kong. She loved to play cards and socialize with friends and family. In 1991 she left friends and familiar surroundings behind and moved to Austin, Tex., to be closer to her sons. A brave move for a 72 year old woman who had lived her entire life in Dubuque. In Austin she was a volunteer at Brackenridge Hospital, and enjoyed playing Euchre and Bridge at a nearby senior center. Virginia’s passing leaves an emptiness that can never be filled by anything, or anyone else. She will be sadly, and forever missed by her sister, Betty Jane (Lobstein) Kawa of Elmhurst, Ill., sons Robert F. Jr. of Austin, Tex., and Dr. James J. of Dallas, Tex.., daughter-in-law Debra, granddaughters Greta Marie, Lainey Rose, and Kelsey Jane, all of Dallas, Tex., nephews Randy Kawa of Ellicot City, Md., Chris Kawa of Aurora, Ill., and niece Carol (Kawa) Adams of Glen Ellyn, Ill. Bob and Jim wish to thank the staff at Stonebridge Health Care Center for their kindness and care while Virginia resided at their facility. Memorials may be given to Meals on Wheels and More – Austin, Tex., or Meals on Wheels–Dubuque, Iowa.