Hiawatha….Virginia Anne Tolles, passed away on January 16, 2021 at the age of 81.

She was born July 10, 1939 in Hiawatha, Kansas to Richard Alexander and Lenore Elizabeth (Whaley) Young. She graduated from Hiawatha High School in 1957.

On October 24, 1958 she married Richard Lawrence Tolles, also of Hiawatha, at the First Christian Church in Hiawatha and they celebrated 62 years of marriage together.  Together they raised one son, Richard Eric.

She is survived by her husband, Richard Tolles of Hiawatha, son, Eric (Connie) Tolles of Spring, Texas, grandsons Austin and Collin Tolles of Spring, Texas, sister Karen (Ronald) Snyder of Hiawatha, and numerous nephews and nieces.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Richard Young Jr. and his wife Carolyn, her sister, Irene (Young) Martinosky, and her husband Joseph, and by several nephews and nieces.

Known as “Ginger” by her friends and family, she was a spirited woman who loved being a homemaker and stay-at-home mom.  She was an avid bird watcher, loved animals and made many friends wherever she went.  After high school she enjoyed working as a telephone operator in Topeka.  After growing up and marrying Richard in Hiawatha, they moved to Topeka for several years.  They also lived in Kirksville and Booneville, Missouri for a few years before landing in Beaumont, Texas and then Channelview, Texas, where they met some of their closest friends.  In Channelview they welcomed their only son, Eric, on May 24, 1973.  They then moved again and made Huffman, Texas their home for 18 years.  There, Ginger loved volunteering at school and band functions for her son, Eric, where many students came to call her “mom”.

They returned to Hiawatha in 1994 to be close to their families.  Since then, Ginger and her sisters, Irene and Karen, became known as the “three musketeers” and the “holy trinity”, as they spent Sundays together in church and were spotted having lunch together around town.  She also enjoyed playing canasta with friends.

She was an active member of the Hiawatha First Christian Church where she faithfully participated in a three-year EfM program of Theological Education. She was proud to graduate from the program and receive her certification from University of the South on May 27, 2007.

Her grandchildren, Austin and Collin, brought her great joy and she loved the time she spent with them playing farkle, reading, and visiting about their adventures.

Until we meet again in heaven, “Later, Love Ya, Bye”.

A Celebration of her life will be held on January 22, 2021 at 2:00 pm at Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Hiawatha, Kansas, with Pastor Lynn Dickson officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha.

Friends may call at the funeral home after 10 a.m. Thursday. The family will meet with friends one hour prior to the service Friday.

Please remember the family during this critical time with a card or a note of remembrance sent to www.chapeloaksfuneralhome.com