Virginia Roe
Virginia Lou (Ashbacher) Roe, 82, of Waukon died Thursday, March 26, 2020 at the Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Private graveside services were held at Old West Paint Creek Cemetery, rural Waukon. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Condolences can be sent to Sue Schulte at 303 Eighth Street SW, Waukon, IA 52172. Martin Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.
Virginia Lou Roe was born July 26, 1937 on her parents’ farm near the French Creek area of rural Lansing. She was the daughter of John Raymond and Florence Alice (Ehrhart) Ashbacher. Virginia was baptized and confirmed at the French Creek Methodist Church and attended French Creek #2 Schoolhouse.
November 27, 1955, she married Willard “Billy” James Roe at the French Creek Methodist Church. They farmed together on the home farm for 12 years and then in 1967 moved to Mesa, AZ, where she attended Mesa Community College and earned her LPN license. Virginia worked at Motorola while going to nursing school. They moved back to Waukon in 1969. She worked for Veterans Memorial Hospital for $1.88 an hour and Good Samaritan Center while attending Calmar Community College, where she earned her RN license.
Virginia then worked for Dr. Lee in his independent surgery practice before returning to work for Veterans Memorial Hospital as an RN. Later she worked for Public Health as a home care nurse, which she loved the most, and later became head of Allamakee County Public Health, retiring in 2000.
Virginia was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church. She enjoyed playing cards, fishing, spending time at their cabin in Harpers Ferry, and taking care of her flower garden. Many of Virginia’s favorite times were spent with her family, her beloved dogs, Chunkin, Lars and Maddie, and making her famous potato salad for family.
Survivors include her four children: Christine (Tim) Anthony of Lansing, Bill Jr. (Becky) of Monona, Sue (Jerry) Schulte of Waukon and John (Sharon) of Waukon; 15 grandchildren: Cindy, Angela, Carrie, Kimberly, Joe, Kim, Katie, Kelly, Mitch, Brent, Blake, Briana, Dylan, Emma and Isaac; 25 great-grandchildren; her brothers: Allen of Minneapolis, MN, Arlyn of Ferryville, WI and Leslie of Viroqua, WI; one sister, Alice Meisner of Anoka, MN; a sister-in-law, Darlene Roe of Mesa, AZ; and nieces and nephews.
Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, John and Florence Ashbacher; her husband, Billy, in 2013; two grandchildren: Allen Lee Miller and Willard Roe III; a brother, Lewis Ashbacher; her father- and mother-in-law, Ove and Emma Roe; her sister-in-law, Doris (Carl) Hanson; and three brothers-in-law, Tom (Delores), Melvin (Olivia) and Kenneth Roe.
Casketbearers were Bill and John Roe, Jerry Schulte and Tim Anthony. Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
