Virginia L. Kiefer

1926 - 2020

Virginia Louis Kiefer died in her home of 49 years in Wescosville, Pa on December 10, 2020. Her friends called her "Ginny" and she had many friends over the years. They knew her as a person who always saw the bright and positive aspects of everyone and everything and who was always there to lend a helping hand. Her mantra was to find joy in every day and she succeeded up to the end.

Ginny was born April 10, 1926, in Van Wert, Ohio, the second child of Joseph and Mildred Olberding. The family was fortunate that her father was able to stay employed through the Great Depression. Even so, she learned the culture of "waste not, want not" from her parents, practiced it though her life, and passed it along to her children.

Virginia was valedictorian of her high school senior class and also lettered in basketball. She met her future husband Stephen at the University of Michigan where she earned her degree in business shortly after WWII came to an end. She was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority and kept in touch with her sorority sisters over the years. Ginny and Steve moved to the Lehigh Valley after college where they were married on October 16, 1948.

Ginny was a devout Christian. She was a founding member of Nativity Lutheran Church when the first service was held in the pastor's living room in the early 1960s. She held various positions and participated in numerous church activities as the church grew. She loved to sing and was a choir member for over 50 years.

Ginny was an active volunteer throughout her life. She was a frequent visitor at the Good Shepherd Home and often took her children there to teach them about helping others. Ginny and Steve delivered for Meals on Wheels for many years and also worked with the Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank. Ginny was life-time member of the American Association of University Women. She loved to read and was a member of the book group. Her other hobbies included golf and gardening. An annual highlight was vacationing with family at Pawleys Island, South Carolina, a place Ginny truly loved.

Ginny was a superb cook and enjoyed baking. She especially loved baking and decorating cookies with her granddaughter through the years. Though Ginny's children and their families moved from the area, they were never gone for long, and her home was the meeting place for many, many family and holiday celebrations. After Steve's death in 2008, Ginny was determined to stay in her home and did so with great energy. The family would like to thank the care-givers of Seniors Helping Seniors for the loving care that allowed her to remain at home during the past year.

Ginny is survived by her sister Mary Ellen Finch of St. Louis; daughter Holly and husband Donald Scofield of Columbia, SC; son John and wife Patti of Freeville, NY; granddaughter Allison and husband Ben Jung, and great-granddaughter Arielle of Berlin Germany. She was predeceased by her husband Stephen, daughter Carol and sister Jo Grove.

A celebration of life service will be held in the spring at Nativity Lutheran Church. Memorial gifts in her name may be made to the church or to Meals on Wheels.