Virginia Mutka

Virginia "Ginny" Mutka passed peacefully into God's loving arms on Sunday morning, August 23rd at the VNA Hospice Center in Valparaiso with family by her side.

She is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, John Mutka, and their 4 children, Mike Mutka (Annette) of Cary, NC, Karen Kaukol (Rob) and Sarah Mutka-Ahern (Ken) of Denver, CO, and Jennifer Mutka-Fabac (John) of Colorado Springs, CO and by her 7 grandchildren Flavia, Jon Shirlei, Maria, Meghan, Emily, and Sarah, and by 5 great-grandchildren Felipe, Lucas, Jordan, Kaio, and Noah.

Ginny was preceded in death by her parents Robert and Irene, and by her brothers Robert and Richard Davey and sister Grace Mann, all of Frankfort, and Mary Honegger of Rennsalaer, IN and by her brother-in-law Thomas Mutka of Whiting, IN.

Ginny was born in Frankfort, graduated from Frankfort High School, and then earned her nursing diploma at DePaul Hospital of St. Louis. She met John on a blind date, and after marrying in 1963 they settled in Northwest Indiana where John spent 40+ years as a sportswriter for the Post-Tribune. Ginny worked at Porter Memorial Hospital and for a Physician Practice, and then specialized in psychiatric nursing, and had a long and successful career providing mental health care services through Porter-Starke Services, Charter Hospitals, and Kingwood.

Ginny was adamant about instilling 3 things in her children: the importance of faith, family, and education. She was a member of St. Paul's Catholic parish in Valparaiso, where she volunteered for many years in the school library. Ginny was relentless in making sure her children stayed connected with their larger family by maintaining a consistent routine of family dinners during the week and weekend visits with extended family throughout their childhood that provided many wonderful memories. She was fierce in demanding that all of her children earn a college degree, and she and John worked tirelessly to provide the support necessary to make sure this happened. When they completed advanced degrees, she realized she was now the only one in the family who did not have a 4 year degree and she was determined to make sure she "walked her talk". So, in her mid 50's, she returned to school (while still working full-time) to earn a Bachelor's in Health Arts from St. Francis College. She graduated with highest distinction, which was a tremendous point of pride for her.

A memorial celebration of Ginny's life will be held on Thursday at St. Paul's at 1855 Harrison Blvd in Valparaiso. Friends and family are invited to attend a 9:00 AM visitation and rosary, followed by a 10:30 AM memorial mass. A lunch will be held after mass. These events will be set up to ensure social distancing is practiced to keep everyone safe, and we will have masks and hand sanitizer available to everyone.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Ginny's name to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org).

Arrangements by Dykes Funeral Home, Inc. (219)-462-3125