Virginia Reed, 92, of
Fergus
Falls
died Wednesday, July 28, 2010, at Mill Street Residence.
Virginia Helen Reed was born November 15, 1917, in
Sioux Falls
,
South Dakota
, to Floyd and Mina (Sibeck) Walkins. She was baptized and confirmed at the Methodist Episcopal Church in
Sioux Falls
. She was a Past Matron of The Order of Eastern Star.
Virginia
grew up on the family farm and graduated from
Washington
High School
in
Sioux Falls
. She then attended the Sioux Valley Hospital School of Nursing where she received her nursing degree in 1938. Her education continued at
Northwestern
University
Medical
School
in
Chicago
where she received a physical therapy degree in 1941, and
Johns
Hopkins
University
in
Baltimore
.
Virginia
spent nearly three quarters of a century in the medical field. Her professional life began at
Sioux
Valley
Hospital
, she later worked as a physical therapist at the Crippled Children’s Hospital in
Sioux Falls
, and her career culminated as head of the Physical Therapy Department at the
Fergus
Falls
Regional
Treatment
Center
in 1983. Post retirement, she spent the next twenty five years, an entire career for most people, as a volunteer worker at
Lake
Region
Hospital
and in the community. Even in her passing
Virginia
continues to serve the medical community by having donated her body to science and research at the University of North Dakota Medical School.
Virginia
was recently honored for her years of service as a volunteer at
Lake
Region
Hospital
. She was always quick to give the advice “Don’t take things too seriously and always have fun.” Regarding her own life, she liked to quote from Forrest Gump, “Always be able to look back and say, at least I didn’t lead no humdrum life.”
Virginia
is survived by her two children, two step children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert, and two step sons.
