VIRGINIA MARTISHIUS

Virginia Martishius of Toledo, Ohio, died peacefully of natural causes at home February 17, 2022. Virginia, born September 14, 1936, the daughter of Mary and Stanley Strzechowski, and grew up in Chicago, Illinois, with her brothers and sister, Stanley (Eileen) (both deceased), Dorothy (Brodmerkel (deceased), Larry (Sandy), and Jim (Joanne).

As a young woman, she worked for the Singer Sewing Machine Company as an accountant and enjoyed the various social opportunities of the time, including dancing at the famous Chicago Theater and carousing with her best friend, Margie.

In 1957, Virginia married Walter (deceased) and moved to Toledo as he pursued an education at the University of Toledo, and eventual a teaching, counseling and coaching career. As a couple they raised seven children in Holland, Ohio: Mercy (Michael Slagel), Wally, Betsy (Bob Jackson), Suzy (Michael Short), Tina, Jim (Cindy) and Mike (deceased).

Virginia was known throughout her neighborhood and the Our Lady of Lourdes church community for her concern for the environment, gardening and phenomenal sewing creations. She was most known for her amazing Halloween, holiday pageant and school play creations, Virginia also created costumes for the University of Toledo theater department in the late 1980s. In accordance with the first Earth Day in 1970, Virginia spearheaded a neighborhood cleanup, and throughout the decades instilled a sense of civic duty, global responsibility and love of music, photography and all arts in her children and 14 grandchildren: Jacob, Anthony (Ashley), Mitchell (Brittany), Holly, Whitney, Zachary (Emily), Patrick, Kasey, Amanda, Madeline, Benjamin, Faith, Brendyn and

Tate. Of particular interest to Virginia were issues of the environment, support for the U.S. military, government awareness, the love of nature and gardening, life-long learning and rooting for the Chicago Cubs.

Throughout her life, Virginia was blessed to enjoy engaging relationships with neighbors, members of the Clay and Springfield High School communities, and friends of her children and grandchildren, especially Johnnie, Scottie, Becky, Sam, Bill, Marianne, Carolyn and Ellen. Family was absolutely the most important aspect of Virginia’s life, with communications including animated in-person visits, long phone calls, beautifully handwritten letters and spirited video chats. Along with her children and grandchildren, she lived for communicating and visiting with her extended family of numerous beloved nieces and nephews, and loving sisters-in-law and brother-in-law: Eileen (deceased), Sandy, Joanne, Mary and John.

In recent years, she used modern technologies, scrolling through social media and jumping on video chats, to keep up-to-date with, sing to and laugh with her greatgrandchildren: Jocelyn, Lilianna, Carter, Alexandra, Zelli Virginia and Oliver.

Virginia was surrounded in recent weeks by her brothers, children and grandchildren, traveling from all corners of the country and across the globe to celebrate her life, recall stories from the past and discuss wishes for the future.

Under the guidance of Hospice services, Virginia was cared for by her daughters in her Toledo home, enjoying the recent winter Olympics and listening to her favorite songs, including “Ravel’s Bolero,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “You Are My Sunshine.”

In keeping with her final wishes, Virginia will be cremated and a family memorial service will be held in Chicago, Illinois.

Tributes to Virginia’s life may be made in her name to either WGTE Public Media, Sempre Fi and America’s Fund, or the Wounded Warrior Project, just three of the many charitable organizations to which she subscribed.