Virginia’s Obituary Virginia Durr, 97, of Tempe passed away peacefully on 2/24/19 with her family by her side. While service to others and generosity of spirit defined her, Virginia was a woman of many talents. She took meticulous care of her house and well-manicured yard, jazzercised joyfully, shopped ’til she dropped and dressed to the nines, played a mean game of Scrabble, cheered on HER Phoenix Suns, completed the daily crossword puzzle, dressed up in creative costumes for Halloween and theme parties, was a fiercely competitive bridge player, decorated her WHOLE house for Christmas and made the holiday special for others through the Adopt-a-Family program and loved baking goodies for friends for special occasions or no reason at all.
Born on 2/1/22 in Napoleon, Ohio to Josephine and Leonard Gebhardt, she was the oldest of 3 girls. After graduating valedictorian of her class, she married her high school sweetheart Kenneth Hershberger, who fought and died in the WWII Pacific Theater. Virginia then moved to Chicago and worked for Procter & Gamble, where she met Patrick(Pat) Durr, fell in love and married him in 1949.
They had their daughter Sandra(Sandy) but Pat became a paraplegic before they could expand their family. Virginia spent the next 37 years as Pat’s primary caregiver, raising her daughter and earning her accounting degree along the way. The family moved to Tempe in 1969, where Virginia began the next chapter in her life.
A devout Catholic, she became very involved in Mt. Carmel parish, volunteering in the school library and joining Sodality and Catholic Daughters, as well as beginning her service to St. Vincent de Paul. She played bridge several days a week with different groups and spent her spare time crafting and selling her creations at holiday craft fairs.
Her needlepoint items, especially nativity sets and holiday decorations, were always coveted and friends would place orders weeks in advance for her homemade peanut brittle and peanut butter bon-bons. After her beloved Pat died in 1996, Virginia and Sandy travelled together, taking trips to the Mediterranean, British Isles & Northern Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean and the Mississippi. They also began regular shopping “pilgrimages” to Palm Springs and, when son-in-law John became part of the family, he joined them on these trips as well as regular visits to family in the midwest and summer getaways to the rim country.
Virginia sold her home and moved to Friendship Village Tempe(FVT) in 1999. She continued crafting, playing bridge and traveling but also expanded her community service. She served on the FVT Resident Council Budget & Finance Committee, chaired the Employee Appreciation Fund, volunteered in the library and gift shop, folded napkins for dining services and encouraged other residents to “get involved” and stay active.
She joined Kiwanis FVT chapter, served as President and earned the Distinguished Service Award, participating in everything from the holiday See’s candy sale to running the annual Rummage Sale. She joined Church of the Resurrection in Tempe, where she participated in the Rosary Group, served as an usher, money counter and continued in Catholic Daughters and St. Vincent de Paul. Her years of compassionate service included helping those in need with budget counseling, organizing food and diaper drives and collecting turkeys for Thanksgiving dinner.
Bishop Olmstead presented her with the Pax Christi Award, honoring her as a woman who lives her faith as an example for us all. Virginia drove until she was almost 95 yrs. old and it was a challenge to see how many people she could fit into her 2-door Lexus sports coupe, taking them to appointments, shopping and out to eat.
Even as her health declined in the last few years and strokes left her unable to speak or continue her community service, Virginia cherished her friends, family and faith above all else and started every morning with her “breakfast table”, enjoyed Sunday morning with her “church gang” and spent precious time with her kids and their family. Virginia is survived by her daughter, Sandra Byra, her son-in-law John Bourque, 3 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband Patrick and sisters Herma Ludeman and Elizabeth Kolbe.
A funeral mass. followed by a reception and lunch, will be held at 10am on March 5th at Church of the Resurrection, 3201 S Evergreen Rd in Tempe.
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