Virginia Mary Bodine

Virginia was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1923, on November 29th in Minneapolis. She was an only child. She was predeceased by her husband, Francis S. Bodine, her parents, Walter and Lillian (Young) Kletzin and her grandchild, William Francis Bodine (Billy).

She is survived by daughter Sarah Ward and son-in-law Kirk, sons, Patrick Bodine, James Bodine and daughter-in-law, Joan Krikava, Stephen Bodine and daughter-in-law, Patty, Thomas Bodine, and daughter, Therese Bodine, and grandchildren, Geoffrey Ward, Meghan Ward, Lauren Ward, Elle Bodine, Peter Bodine, Alyssa Bodine, F. Jedidiah Bodine, S. Ross Bodine, Caitlin Kelley and husband Jason, Jack Bodine, Anne Bodine, and Margaret Bodine.

Virginia graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bio-Statistics and a minor in Political Science. She worked with the very first electron microscope at the U of M, taking and developing photographs for medical research.

As an only child, Virginia inherited the best of both her parents. Her mother was a wonderful cook and Virginia took up that mantle with pride. She loved to entertain and she was known for the large scale buffet she would make every Christmas Eve, celebrating with friends, neighbors and family. Virginia went hunting and fishing with her father as a child and played baseball with the neighbor boys at the ball field across the street from her house. This led to a lifelong love of baseball. If she couldn’t watch the Minnesota Twins on TV, she listened to the games on the radio.

Virginia married Francis S. Bodine in 1949 and embraced the life of an officer’s wife. She organized events and chaired clubs and made friends, as they moved from one Air Force base to another. This was terrific training for her career. Virginia began working for the Edina Chamber of Commerce in 1976 as the Executive Secretary. Before long, she moved up to Director and was a major mover and shaker in the Edina community – from the Edina Garden Club to the League of Women Voters to being an early promoter of community recycling in the 1970s. Her retirement party in 1992 attracted 275 well wishers.

With six children, Virginia was kept busy from dawn to dusk for decades. She believed in living life to the fullest and wanted her children to experience life the same way. Outings to parks, museums, restaurants, and plays were regular occurrences. When her grandchildren began arriving, she loved spending time with them, sharing her enthusiasm for all life has to offer.

Virginia loved people. She loved hearing people’s stories, just as much as she enjoyed telling her own. She had a special ability to connect with just about anyone. We will all miss her very much.

Memorial donations to St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Edina.