- Date Of Birth: April 11, 1919
- Date Of Death: September 23, 2011
- State: Idaho
On Friday, September 23, 2011, Virginia Hartley, 92, left us to join her Heavenly Father.
Virginia was born April 11, 1919 in the farm home, the fourth child of Abraham Scott and Mary Isabel Fields Knapp of Adams County, North Dakota. Her early childhood years were spent on the family dairy farm in Lemmon, South Dakota with her two brothers and two sisters. She dearly loved her brothers and sisters and had wonderful memories of her family even though life was hard. She wrote in her book about some of the memories she had of growing up on the family farm. She always laughed when she told the story of the hot summer days when the pigs in the field were cooling off in a small pond filled with water. She remembers how content the pigs were just sleeping and grunting in the pond. Her sister, Martha, and her would walk on the backs of these pigs as they lay sleeping in the mud. Lucky for them they never fell off the pigs into the mire. At the age of 13 her mother died suddenly leaving a void in her life. After her graduation from high school Martha and Virginia, moved to Spokane, Washington to be closer to her other three siblings. The sudden death of her older sister Marie in March 1942 was another difficult tragedy in her life. June 18, 1942 was one of the happiest days of her life when she married Lyall Hartley, the young, handsome dark haired man she meet at the Boise State Fair in 1940. Their first home was in Stibnite, Idaho. After the closing of the mine at Stibnite they moved to Nampa and Spokane, before making their home in Boise. The Hartley household grew to include 4 sons and 3 daughters.
Virginia continued her education by attending Kinman Business School while she was in Spokane and Links Business School in Boise. While keeping up with the demands of a busy wife and mother she also worked at various stores in Boise, including the Toy Store, J.J. Newberry, and C.C. Anderson. She then went to work for the Boise Police Department where she eventually retired.
With retirement years and children growing up Virginia began her volunteer work at St.
Virginia is survived by 4 sons (Lyall, Tom, Lee, and Robert); 3 daughters (Kathy, Susan, and Beth); 11 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren. Many nieces, nephews and friends mourn her passing.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lyall, her 2 brothers Theron and Edwin; 2 sisters Marie and Martha; and 1 grandson.
A special thank you goes to the staff of Meridian Care Center and Dr. Susan Blough M.D. for their loving care given to our mother over the past few years.
Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma we love and miss you.
