Long-time Coeur d’Alene resident Virginia Elaine Jones died suddenly on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012. She was born on February 10, 1927 in Chisholm, Minn., as the only child of Kirk and Esther Mahan. Virginia graduated from Chisholm High School in the spring of 1944, went to Hibbing Junior College in the fall, and started nursing school in February 1945 at the Kahler Hospitals School of Nursing in Rochester, Minn. During the war, she served in the Cadet Nursing Corps. She graduated from nursing school and began working as a nurse in 1948.

Virginia was a woman ahead of her time. With her work as a nurse and her frugal nature, she saved $1,000 with the intention of going to Alaska with a nursing friend. Swayed by her parents, she instead enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 1949 and graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1951. This was rare for the time period, as few nurses obtained college degrees.

In August 1954, she headed west to Washington, moved to Spokane, and began work as a pediatric nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital. By 1955 she became a pediatric nursing instructor for Washington State University and a head nurse on a surgical floor.

In 1958, she met Edwin Hume Jones and they were married on Feb. 14, 1959. In 1962, they moved to Coeur d’Alene where they raised their three sons and worked at Harvey’s, the family clothing business. She also worked on occasion at (then) North Idaho Junior College as an instructor in the LPN program.

She was a loving, wise, and pragmatic mother and grandmother. A long-time member of Trinity Lutheran Church, she volunteered her time in many projects. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, daughter-in-law Connie (Higbee) Jones, and grandson Justin Jones. She is survived by sons Kirk Jones (Ann Newman) of Edmonds, Wash.; Erik Jones (Cheryl) of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Bruce Jones (Marissa) of Phoenix; and grandson Peyton.

Funeral services will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Press Christmas for All, 201 Second St.; Coeur d'Alene, ID. 83814. You may visit Virginia's on-line memorial and sign her guest book at englishfuneralchapel.com