Virginia Lee Clawson, 82, of Mt. Morris, Pa., passed away at her daughter’s home in Charles Town, W.Va. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer.
Her final months were spent surrounded by three generations of family members, of which the two youngest great-grandchildren provided her with endless hours of entertainment and laughter.
Virginia was born in Parsons, W.Va. in 1941.
In 1944, she moved to her current home on the bank of Dunkard Creek with Bill and Audrey Vannoy. She spent the next 15 years in Mt. Morris, Pa. among a close-knit community of family and friends, and in 1959, she graduated from Mt. Morris High School. After marriage and raising her two children, she happily returned to the family homestead in Mt. Morris, Pa. in 2002 and lived there until her illness in early 2024.
Those blessed to know Virginia admired her adventurous, independent spirit. She was not afraid of the unknown or failure. At the age of 36, she returned to nursing school and graduated a year later as an LPN. In her 40s, she learned how to ski and kayak, and she wasn’t afraid to go it alone if the moment was right. She was known to drive to The Wisp for a good snowfall, throw the kayak in Dunkard if the water was flowing and even once drove to the Outer Banks alone for private time at the beach.
Later in life, Virginia discovered the joy of travel. She motored around the U.S. with partner, Jack Jenkins on many trips, and she made multiple trips to Europe with family members. Her favorite trips were traveling to Rome and visiting the Vatican and St. Peters Basilica and a trip to Utah where she learned to ski big mountains and white powder with son, John and daughter-in-law, Ann.
For those who knew Virginia, her first love was all things family: playing with great-grandchildren, enjoying family dinners, tending her gardens and sitting on the bank of Dunkard. Other joys in life were spending time with her many friends, attending the Mt. Morris Book Club meetings and singing in the Mt. Morris Tabernacle Gospel Choir.
Virginia is survived by daughter, Diana and husband, Jim Walch; son, John Wion and wife, Ann; grandson, James Walch and wife, Rainny; granddaughter, Audra Walch and partner, Ronnie Lemon; and her beloved great-grandchildren, James Beckett Walch and Cristiano Rafael Walch. She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews throughout the U.S., including Pam Wion, of Mt. Morris, Pa.
Thank you to all of Virginia’s loving, kind and thoughtful friends who visited and sent her gifts, cards and letters. They brought many moments of joy to her life. A heartfelt thanks goes to Hospice of the Panhandle and all the nurses who helped our beloved mother and family members through her final journey.
