- Date Of Birth: August 31, 1932
- Date Of Death: August 21, 2013
- State: Iowa
Virginia Lee Critchfield Klobnock was born August 31, 1932 in Purdy, Iowa.
She passed away August 21, 2013 at the Lucas County Health Center of a heart ailment surrounded by her loving family.
Virginia grew up in Purdy and Belinda, Iowa.
She played on the Belinda Softball team and met her life-long friends.
She later graduated from Chariton High in the class of 1950 where she was a Homecoming Attendant.
She immediately began an “Air Force life” as Don was drafted into the Korean War.
In 1954 their son Donald Michael (Mike) was born at Larsen Air Force Base in Moses Lake, Washington.
In 1957 she helped Don start Lucas County Little League.
She put in many long hours helping him do everything from run the Concession Stand to being the first Treasurer.
She worked as a Secretary at the Iowa Highway Commission (Iowa Department of Transportation) until 1965 when their daughter Kellie Ann was born at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.
Starting in 1966 restaurant life began with the purchase of Bangs Drive Inn which she worked at daily until 1977.
Bangs was the “high school hangout” for many and they employed several teenage boys and girls, her parents, her son and daughter, her sister and her niece.
This was the start of many relationships she formed with the teenagers of Lucas County.
Bangs closed in 1977.
In 1968 they purchased A&W Drive Inn this was the beginning of a “dynasty”.
If you didn’t hang out and eat at A&W – you weren’t cool!!
Virginia knew every kid in the county!
She never met a stranger and formed many, many lasting friendships!
She taught more teenage girls how to “make change” and just talk to more people then we could ever count.
The hundreds of employees they would employ over the next 20 plus years was unbelieveable.
Each one was treated like “family” and the friendships that were made was in the thousands.
Virginia absolutely knew every high school kid during all her years at A&W.
It was a tradition to go down to the drive inn and get your picture taken on Prom night.
She also rarely missed a Homecoming assembly.
This brought her great joy!
She loved and treated every kid like her own!
She constantly had a smile and kind word to all she met and if you didn’t want the truth then you shouldn’t ask her the question!!
In 1986 she was asked to be the Homecoming speaker at CHS.
This was considered by her as a “huge honor”.
She had the crowd literally roaring with her humor and honesty.
Over the A&W years they employed their daughter and nephew, gave countless teenagers their first job.
Virginia loved every minute at A&W and car-hopped until she was 58.
In 1988 a new chapter started as she started with Hy-Vee in the HBC warehouse and then in 1988 moving to the Microfilm department.
She also once again made some wonderful life-long friendships.
She was not just a friend to few but – to EVERY person she met.
Virigina was also a second mother to many, many young people.
She loved and cared about each and every one of them.
Her greatest joy was her family where she loved each one individually.
Her four grandsons were “her world” and she loved them truly as she would say.
She had a relationship with her daughter that was “one of a kind”.
She looked forward to every Saturday night receiving Holy Communion from her dear friend Rita Cross.
Virginia was a member of the Lucas County Little League Hall of Fame, the Women of Sacred Heart, the Chariton Bridge Club and her 1950’s High School classmates lunch group.
Virginia was proceeded in death by her parents, Archie Laurence and Vera Mary McClure Critchfield;
her husband of 55 years, Donald Klobnock;
her sister, Helen Marie Murray; her brother-in-law, Lloyd Murray; and her nephew, Don Carmody.
She is survived by her son, Donald Michael Klobnock and wife Carlleen of Littleton, Colorado; her daughter Kellie Ann Gookin and husband Joe of Russell; her grandsons: Cody of Fort Myers, Florida; Andy Klobnock and girlfriend Cheryl Cummins of Campbell, California; and Joe and Tyler Gookin of Russell; her sister, Gloria and husband John of Chariton; her niece Mary Lou Carmody of Tucson, Arizona; her nephew Doug and wife Amy Gardner and family of Johnston, Iowa; and her niece Jill Youmans and family of Indianola.
