Erma Virginia Cook was born to Francis and Edna McGee on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1920. She grew up in Zanesville, Ohio and graduated from Zanesville High School with the class of 1939. Virginia’s high school friends nicknamed her “Mac,” and she kept in touch with them throughout her lifetime. She is believed to have been the last surviving member of her graduating class.
On August 18, 1943, Virginia married Gilbert M. Seat, a fellow graduate of Zanesville High School. Gil worked with his father at the Raymond Seat Funeral Home on Maple Avenue and was stationed in France during the war years. Upon Gil’s return from the war, the two moved to Athens, Ohio, where Gil attended Ohio University, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in graphic design. After Gil’s graduation, the couple moved to Cincinnati, and the first of their two sons, Alan, was born in 1952 and Stephen was born in 1953. The family later lived in Oxford and then Dayton, Ohio, where Virginia worked as a librarian at Wright Library on Far Hills Drive. Throughout her many moves, Virginia always enjoyed gardening. When her boys were growing up, Virginia’s backyard was often converted to a baseball diamond, and all the neighborhood kids knew it was an automatic “out” whenever the ball landed in a flowerbed.
In 1972, Virginia and Gil moved to Iowa City, Iowa, and Virginia took a job as a secretary at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. After moving to Brandon, Florida, in 1979, Virginia again worked as a church secretary at First United Methodist, finding much faith and inspiration in the church. After 37 years of marriage, Gil passed away in 1981. Following Gil’s passing, Virginia became shuffleboard partners with her friend and neighbor Charles Cook, a widower who lived down the street from her in Brandon. They were married the next year. In 2006, Charles and Virginia moved to Silvercrest Retirement Community in Overland Park, Kansas, to be near her son Stephen and his family. Charles passed away in 2013, and Virginia remained at Silvercrest until earlier this year.
Virginia was witty, tenacious, and outgoing. She left an impression on everyone she met, made many friends, and never forgot a name. Virginia enjoyed playing cards with her friends and was an exceptional bridge player. In her later years, she enjoyed the company of her friends at Silvercrest and time with family. It always brought her so much joy to be around her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her great-grandsons, in particular, possessed a magical ability to bring a sparkle to her eyes and a smile to her face. She was good and kind, loved her family and was loved by them, and was blessed with a long, memorable life. Virginia passed away on October 12, 2016, at the age of 95. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends.
Virginia is survived by her son Stephen and his wife, Beverly; granddaughter Tina, her husband Andrew, and their son Tyler; grandson, Ashley; and granddaughter Angela, her husband Danny, and their son Toby; and son Alan and his wife Mookie.