Virginia Rutherford Feaver

Virginia Feaver, born Virginia Rutherford on July 28, 1921 in Marion, Ohio, passed away at the age of 94 on February 28, 2016 in Asheville, North Carolina. Virginia married Stan Feaver, her grade-school sweetheart, in Marion, Ohio on May 5, 1944. They had four children, all now married: Linda Hellinger (and Donn) of New Carlisle, Ohio; Lynn Feaver (and Sandy) of Freeport, Illinois; Laurie Feaver (and Beth), of Charleston, South Carolina; and Lane Feaver (and Sandy) of Arden, North Carolina. Virginia had seven grandchildren who live in Seattle, Washington; Madison, Wisconsin; Charlottesville and Leesburg, Virginia; Beaufort, South Carolina; and Asheville, North Carolina. She had 13 great-grandchildren. Virginia attended North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, graduating in 1944 with a degree in sociology. At the end of WW II while Stan was overseas with the Marines, Virginia served as Council Director for the Girl Scouts of America in Massillon Ohio. A Girl Scout for more than 25 years, Virginia loved the out-of-doors and enjoyed introducing 'city kids' to the natural world. When Stan returned from the war, the couple soon had children of their own and the outdoor tradition was renewed through annual, two-week-long, family tenting vacations – six people and all their gear stuffed into a station wagon – visiting state and national parks across the country. Virginia was a dedicated mother and hard-working homemaker. Homemade bread, pies and cakes, and home-canned or frozen fruits and vegetables were on the family dinner table daily. The cookie jar was always full, but you had to do your chores before you could have one. Though the growing family lived briefly at Camp Lejeune and in Marion and Cleveland Ohio, their longest stay was in Toledo where Virginia was active in local Brownie and Cub Scout troops, their Methodist Church and numerous school committees. As the kids grew older, Virginia began a second career as a librarian, ultimately serving at libraries in Toledo, Jonesboro, Tennessee and Waverly, Ohio. Virginia and Stan loved to travel, and once the kids had graduated high school, the vagabond years began. Whenever the couple found a piece of countryside they especially liked, they would move – build a new home – and Virginia would add new names to her wide circle of life-long friends. After Toledo, Virginia and Stan lived in Salem Utah, Kingsport and Jonesboro Tennessee, and Oxford, Waverly and Urbana Ohio before moving five years ago to Asheville. For years, Virginia corresponded regularly with folks across the country. Wherever they lived, 'Grandma and Grandpa's house' was a frequent destination for holiday and summer visits by her growing collection of rambunctious grandchildren. Grandma would keep the cookie jar full but the rules were not as strict as they once had been: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." "If we'll all work together we'll get done faster – then you can go out and play." During their retirement, Stan and Virginia traveled the countryside. While Stan drove, Virginia knit. Virginia would start a 'project' at the beginning of a trip and before arriving some new beauty would be created. Every child and grandchild and many great-grandchildren were fully stocked with beautiful sweaters, hats, mittens, blankets and dolls. In her later years, arthritis took over and Virginia turned from knitting to reading, visiting with friends, and talking with her widespread family on the phone. Everyone wanted Grandma's guidance and counsel. We thank her for it. Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, two brothers and her husband of 68 years. Her ashes will be interred with Stan's in their hometown of Marion, Ohio. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 1:00 pm at Skyland United Methodist Church in Arden, North Carolina. A memorial fund has been established for the Girl Scouts of America.