Virginia Scheetz

Obituary of Virginia Scheetz

Virginia M. Scheetz, age 99, a longtime and beloved resident of Oxford, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 16, 2026, at Keystone Place at Forevergreen in North Liberty.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 23, 2026, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Oxford. Visitation will take place at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of Mass. Burial will follow at Oxford Mt. Calvary Cemetery, with a luncheon afterward at St. Mary's Auditorium.

Virginia Margie Frese was born on June 10, 1926, in rural Iowa County, Iowa, the daughter of Martin and Dorothy (Falls) Frese. She attended and graduated from Oxford High School. On June 14, 1944, she married the love of her life, Laurence J. Scheetz. Together, they built a life grounded in hard work and unwavering devotion to family while raising four children.

Throughout her life, Virginia held a variety of jobs, including work at the Oxford Feed Mill, Hummer Trucking, Henderson Printing Office, and the Oxford Post Office. She later began a long and fulfilling career with the University of Iowa, where she served as Westlawn Nursing Residence Manager. Proud of her work and dedicated to those she served, Virginia devoted 35 years to the University before retiring in 1991.

Over nearly a century of life, Virginia experienced both its challenges and its many joys with grace and resilience. She understood the value of hard work and loved her family and lifelong friends beyond measure. A creative spirit, she delighted in crafting, playing bingo and slot machines, and enjoying good music-especially The Sound of Music, The Music Man, and Lawrence Welk. She loved dancing, particularly square dancing, and was known for collecting cups, dolls, and an assortment of treasured keepsakes. She loved to play the organ and did so at St. Mary's Church for several years.. Her signature colors were black and white-especially black-and-white polka dots-which always brought her joy.

Virginia also loved to travel and was fortunate to visit Ireland, St. Croix, and Hawaii-remarkable adventures for a woman from Oxford, Iowa. Family vacations created memories she treasured deeply. Family was truly everything to this special Mom and Grandma, lovingly known as Grandma, Grammy, and Grandma "HeHe."

She is survived by her four children: Mary Sue Jiras; Bonnie (Raymond) Jiras; Steve (Karen) Scheetz; and Tom (Lynette) Scheetz; along with a large and spirited family of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren-each proudly claiming to be her favorite!

Her grandchildren include Jennifer (Bill) Wood; Steve (Sherry) Jiras; Cherri (Brad) Block; Marty Jiras; Clint (Joy) Jiras; Jeret (Dana) Jiras; Stephanie (Tom) Kuennen; Angie (Scott) Kesselring; Matthew (Courtney) Scheetz; David (Kristin) Scheetz; and step-grandchildren Brent (Kari) Hawkins; Jesi (Nick) Cole; and Kati Hawkins.

Her great-grandchildren include Mitchell (Laura) Wood; Casey (Autumn) Wood; Allison (Preston) Wheat; Austin, Alex, and Aiden Jiras; Logan and Darian Block; Kayla, Laney, Rylee, and Justin Jiras; Cal and Canon Jiras; Cole and Cale Jiras; Nathan (Amber) Kuennen; Ashley Kuennen (Danny Fobian); Jacob (Anna) Kesselring; Hannah and Joshua Kesselring; Evan, Leo, and Finn Scheetz; Addilyn and Ayla Scheetz; and step-great-grandchildren Evelyn and William Hawkins; Cash and Cali Cole.

Her great-great-grandchildren include Evelyn and Camden Wood; Cooper Wood; and Olivia Kuennen.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husband, Laurence; and her son-in-law, James "Jim" Jiras.

Memorial donations may be made in Virginia's honor to the Oxford Fire Department and First Responders or St. Croix Hospice. Online condolences and memories may be shared at the Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service website at www.gayandciha.com.