Virginia Mary Vahle, 77, of Payson, Ill., passed away at 12:05 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, at Hannibal Regional Hospital in Hannibal, Mo., surrounded by loved ones.
Virginia was born Jan. 2, 1943, in Quincy, Ill., to Eugene Carl and Mary Florence Knuffman Schmidt. She graduated from Payson Seymour High School in 1961. After graduating, she worked at State Street Bank and then at Sears & Roebuck. She married the love of her life, Maurice M. Vahle, on Oct. 10, 1964, in Liberty, Ill. In 1970, their family of two turned into a family of three with their daughter, Denise.
Virginia is known by many as the “Cake Lady,” because of her famous wedding and birthday cakes that she baked and decorated for more than fifty years. However, she will forever and always be remembered as a loving, helpful, hard-working, and strong daughter, wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandma.
She enjoyed listening to Mollie B.’s polka music on RFD TV and classic country music. Virginia also liked watching the Golden Girls, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Hallmark Christmas movies.
Virginia enjoyed cooking and baking in general. She made her famous noodles for the church card parties. She especially loved making her families’ favorites: rolls, chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bars, sugar cookies, lemon bars, filling cake, hello dollies, buckeyes, homemade ice cream, punch, and all types of cake.
In her younger years, Virginia was an active member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Payson PTO, 4-H Club, and the Home Extension Club. She enjoyed playing cards and square dancing with her beloved husband, Maurice, and friends. She loved to travel. Her most memorable trips were to Branson, Hawaii, and a cruise to Mexico. She most importantly loved spending time with her family, whether that was helping to decorate bikes and floats for the Payson Old Settlers parades, helping her grandkids with their school projects, or just talking and laughing with her family and friends. She especially loved going to all of her grandkids’ athletic events.
Survivors are her daughter, Denise Loos, and her husband, Greg, of Payson; and four grandkids, Courtney, Kristen, and twins Brady and Brett, all of Payson. Also surviving are two sisters-in-law, Janice Ellerbrock and Evelyn Weisinger; four nieces, Angela Schmidt (Garth Oitker), Carla Trautvetter (Steven), Gina Sheurman (Corey), and Tammy Schieferdecker (Troy); and many loving great nieces and nephews.
Virginia was preceded in death by her husband, Maurice, on Aug. 30, 2008; her parents, Eugene and Mary Florence; one brother, Harold Schmidt; a brother-in-law, Norman Ellerbrock; and parents-in-law, Loren and Margaret Vahle.
Pallbearers will be Denise Loos, Greg Loos, Courtney Loos, Kristen Loos, Brady Loos, Brett Loos, Bryson Kramer and Scott Lentz.
Honorary pallbearers will be Marvin Knuffman, Roger Knuffman, Bob Sudbury, John Elliott, Bob Perry, Dean Hemming, Troy Schieferdecker, Steven Trautvetter and Corey Sheurman.
Funeral mass will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Quincy with Father Tom Donovan officiating. Burial services will follow in the St. Anthony’s Catholic Cemetery.
Family and friends are invited to a visitation from noon until 1 p.m. on Wednesday, at the church.
The family is being served by the O’Donnell-Cookson Life Celebration Home in Quincy.
Memorials may be made to the St. Anthony’s mass fund or to the St. Anthony’s Church Cemetery fund.
Illinois Covid-19 guidelines will be followed, including requiring face masks and social distancing.
Online condolences may be shared and a video tribute may be viewed at ODonnellCookson.com and whig.com.