Virginia L. Sweetland

In her 99 years of life, Virginia “Ginny” grew up in the days of the Model T Ford, the ice box and the crystal set radio. She once reflected, “It has been a wonderful life, seeing all the changes that have taken place and to have had such a long and happy life.”

The only child of Olive and Thomas Robinson, she was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area. Virginia enjoyed playing the piano by ear. She graduated from Mills College in 1939 with a degree in Home Economics and married her sweetheart, William “Bill” Sweetland that year. They began their 58 happy years of married life in Fort Bragg, California where their son Terry and daughter Anne were born. After Bill returned from serving in the Navy in WWII, they moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he began his archery business. An optimistic and happy person, Virginia often whistled as she worked around the house and made home beautiful and comfortable as she used her skills in cooking, sewing, gardening, and handwork including weaving and spinning wool. She was a member of the Eugene Weavers Guild and a spinning group.

Since she loved to read, Virginia took her children to the library weekly for a supply of books. She encouraged all of her posterity to become well-educated, whether it be vocational training or a college degree. She also attended continuing education classes in Eugene. Virginia loved the out-of-doors and canoeing and often accompanied Bill on hunting and fishing trips throughout Oregon, taking her books and handwork with her.

After her husband Bill's death in 1997, she moved to Salem, Oregon to be closer to her daughter. She lived at Madrona Hills and then Emerald Pointe retirement centers. She is survived by her children, Terry and Anne (Dale) Kirby, her grandchildren Bruce Kirby, Sharon (Tom) Gordon, Karl (Amy) Kirby, Alan (Natasha) Kirby, and Ruth (Peter) Ingebrigtsen; and her eleven great-grandchildren.

A family graveside service will be at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Eugene, where she will be buried beside her husband.