Virginia Grace King

Virginia Grace (Carson) King, R.N.

Virginia Grace Carson King died peacefully on April 26, 2013, surrounded by family at her home of 63 years. Though approaching 99, she swam twice weekly at the YMCA, and did her own laundry, cooking and gardening until less than two weeks before her death.
Virginia was the second youngest of nine children, born to Blanche Bledsoe Carson and John W. Carson on May 23, 1914 in Eugene, OR. Her parents had settled in nearby Alvadore, buying a general store. After robbers blew the safe and destroyed the inventory, the family moved to Vancouver, WA, where Virginia started school. Because she could read fluently, she spent only two hours in first grade before advancing to second grade to join her lifelong friend Jane West.
Following graduation from Fort Vancouver High School, she enrolled at the Swedish Hospital School of Nursing in Seattle. Completing training as a registered nurse in 1934, she continued to work at Swedish. Here she met her future husband, Walter Lynes King of Marysville whom she married in 1940.
Lynes enlisted as an officer in the Navy in 1941. Virginia returned to Vancouver to live with her family while Lynes served in the South Pacific. She joined him in San Francisco and San Diego while he was stationed in those cities.
Following the war, Lynes and Virginia moved to Everett and opened King's Freeze, an ice cream parlor noted for both quality and innovative flavors. In 1948 they moved to Marysville and established an egg ranch on the King Farm, in the family since 1918. Nearby King Creek is named in honor of the farm and family.
In 1959, Lynes began a teaching career in Edmonds S.D. and Virginia returned to nursing at Havenwood nursing home, and, later Everett General Hospital. After strokes disabled Lynes in 1973, Virginia cared for him at home until his death in 1977.
Her plans to travel abroad in 1939 were thwarted by the outbreak of World War II. However, in later years she traveled extensively abroad and in the US until a year before her death. She often returned to Oregon where she especially loved Cannon Beach.
From an early age,
Virginia displayed a phenomenal memory. Known as the "family Google" she could answer any question no matter what the topic. She could describe a train trip at age 5 to Vancouver to welcome her brother Ike home from World War I, when she saw her first motion picture or when she heard Cab Calloway in a Pioneer Square night club in the 30's. She was a voracious reader, completing 15 to 30 books a month until the week of her death. She was a dedicated Mariners fan, who rarely missed a televised game, attended several in person and who traveled to Arizona once to attend spring training. She did crossword puzzles daily, completing the Sunday New York Times puzzle four days before her death. Her home-baked apple pie, cracked wheat bread and molasses cookies will be dearly missed.
Virginia was a founding member of the Sunnyside PTA - then an independent school district. She was a charter memeber of the Marysville Historical Society, and member of the Sunnyside Improvement Club, Friends of the Marysville Library, a pinochle club and Sunnyside Grange. Virginia also volunteered to assist with elementary school hearing tests and vaccinations. She and Lynes were also active square dancers in the 1950's.
Virginia is survived by her children, Jeffrey King (Jessie Kitts) of Portland, Priscilla (Rod) MacMillan of Portland, Mary Sweet of Woodinville and Thomas King (Stacey Gleason) of Marysville; grandchildren, James,
Jeffrey and Patrick Sweet,
Anthony, Christopher and Michelle King. Virginia made many devoted friends through her long life, though most preceded her in death. She would often joke that she wished she had a dollar for every cup of coffee or piece of pie that she served to people who stopped by the farm to visit or buy eggs.
By her request, there will be no service.
Gifts, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Friends of the Marysville Library or Mercy Corps.