Virginia Louise Rutherford (Doyle) lived a full and very long life that few of us will be as fortunate to achieve. The longevity  she achieved must run in the family genes as Virginia and her sister Mary were both centenarians and her mother Emma Mae was ninety seven. If not the family genes then maybe it is the soil on a Saskatchewan farm that is responsible for growing their longevity, because as we all know , kids eat dirt, or maybe it was ingested with a juicy carrot fresh from the backyard garden or possibly they breathed in some Saskatchewan dirt while going to or coming home from school in a famous prairie dust storm.

Life on the prairies was tough, but so were the kids. Virginia was born on January 02, 1921 on a farm three and a half miles from Hoosier, Saskatchewan. She joined her sister Mary 4 and her brother Bud (Henry John) 3 for what was to become both hard work and fun on a rural prairie farm for the next fifteen years.

Virginia grew up with more farm animals as close friends than school friends due to the homesteads being so far apart. With 13 horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, cats and a dog to look after along with a long list of various chores she had little time left for fun. Virginia and her siblings did however enjoy extra-curricular activities such as skating, skiing, sleighing, and especially curling which she enjoyed playing and watching on TV right through her final days. Virginia also enjoyed summer activities such as softball, gardening and lawn bowling. Gardening turned out to be a big part of her life at her home at 4821 Shepherd Street in Burnaby and again at the Mulberry Parc assisted living facility in Burnaby. Virginia and Bob were lifetime members of the Burnaby Garden Club and won many prizes and accolades for the "Best of Burnaby Backyards" program and garden club shows.  

Virginia's early years were not easy ones. At the age of six she was diagnosed with rheumatic fever that resulted in a fused hip, several hospital visits, orthopedic surgery, one leg shorter than the other, and a resulting life long limp. Virginia lived through the great depression 1929 - 1933 at the tender age of ten but the family was able to produce almost everything they needed to get by. Milk, cottage cheese, eggs, meat, flour, butter, lard, soap, vegetables, horseradish, and some soft fruits were all produced on the farm.

In 1940 Virginia left the farm to enroll in secretarial school in Saskatoon, graduated in 1941 and went to work at a lumber company for the next two years before moving to Vancouver in September 1943 to take up a nursing career at the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).  After years on the prairies , the move to BC was a move to God's Country which is where she spent the rest of her life. Virginia worked as a registered nurse (RN) at VGH, Montreal General and a short time in a Catholic Hospital in Saskatoon and one year later was back in Vancouver. Virginia continued to work in the Private Ward Pavilion at the VGH until she met Robert (Bob) Rutherford.

Virginia got engaged on Bob's birthday (March 17, 1948) and married on April 13, 1948. Virginia and Bob remained together until her passing on February 06, 2024. Virginia and Bob celebrated their 50th  wedding anniversary with family and friends at Newland's golf and country club in Langley, BC in April 1999. Another milestone that very few of us will ever achieve. Seventy - five years of marriage  - almost 76 Wow.

Just like the show  "My Three Sons" (for those that remember that far back) Virginia and Bob had  three boys, Stephen Allan, Philip Conway and Randall Gordon in fairly rapid succession along with building their first home, a move to      

Edmonton and back to Vancouver. Virginia's life was action packed.

Virginia's most vital career choice was by far to be a stay at home Mom. Virginia excelled in all of the following:

Hotel manger at 4821 Shepherd Street.

Financial advisor and bank manager - GIC's, stocks, bonds ,ETF's and accounts balanced to the penny.

Chef - Virginia's meals were better than going out to an expensive fancy restaurant and many still refer to her recipes today.

Hostess with the most - Virginia loved to entertain friends and family with excellent meals and appetizers during afternoon and evening get togethers.

Florist - Virginia did all her own flower arrangements as good or better than the local florist.

Landscaper and Gardener - Virginia and Bob sculpted the entire property at 4821 Shepherd street  into a masterpiece.

Secretary - Virginia was still conversing with her sister Mary via email daily until   Mary's passing and was using the internet, email, filing documents and running the household daily business well past 100.

Mother, grandmother, wife and the list goes on and on to include everything she touched on a daily basis that you would today class as a career.

Virginia is survived by her husband Bob, sons Stephen and Philip, daughter-in- law Zoria, grandchildren Heather and Kevin and far too many nephews and nieces to mention here. Virginia was predeceased by her youngest son, Randy. Virginia will be greatly missed by all of us and all the friends she made along the amazing 103 years that we had the privilege to be part of.

It was Virginia's wish to have a simple farewell by cremation, no flowers or service and  donations to a charity of the donors choosing.

Please feel free to add your own comments regarding:

VIRGINIA'S LIFE WELL LIVED.