VIRGINIA M. VAN LENT (1915 - 2002)

VAN LENT, MCWILLIAMS, KASS, ROBINSON

Posted By: County Coordinator (email)
Date: 4/30/2020 at 12:56:02

Virginia M. Van Lent, 87, of Sioux City died Tuesday, Nov 12, 2002 at a Sioux City Hospital.

Services were held Saturday, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church with the Rev. Nicholas L. Becker officiating. Burial was in the Calvary Cemetery. Larkin Northside Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Virginia was born on June 20, 1915 in Alton, the daughter of Patrick O. and Clara (Kass) McWilliams. She was raised in Cherokee. She graduated from the College of St. Catherine's in St. Paul, Minn. She received her Master's Degree in English, speech and drama from Morningside College in Sioux City. In her twenties, she took aerial photographs of land from small barnstorming planes for the state of Iowa. She taught school in Rockwell City, Ill., lived in Chicago, then taught in Marcus before moving to Sioux City in 1965. In the forties she was involved in the Chautauqua Group and would go out to small communities and organize local play groups for stage plays.

She married Albert J. Van Lent in 1951 in Cherokee. Mr. Van Lent died in 1951 in Chicago. After moving to Sioux City, she taught English, speech and drama at Leed's High School and North High School. She helped direct plays at various schools.

She belonged to Blessed Sacrament Catholic church, the church Confraternity, the Maranatha Prayer group. She was a Eucharistic minister and church lector, member of People Against Pornography, Siouxland Right to Life, Marian Center and Queen of Peace, Senior Citizen Center; she was involved in politics, supporter of the Boy Scouts, member of Catholic Daughters and Carmelite Guild.

Survivors include a son and his wife, Patrick and Jennifer Van Lent of Kailua, Hawaii; two granddaughters, Michelle Robinson of San Antonio, Texas and Sabrina Van Lent of Kailua; a grandson Sean Patrick Van Lent of San Antonio; four great grandchildren, two brothers William "Bill" and Milo McWilliams of Ottumwa.

In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by two brothers, Patrick O. McWilliams, Jr. and Harold McWilliams.

Memorial may be sent in her name to Queen of Peace and the Siouxland Right to Life.
Source: Cherokee County Historical Society Scrapbook. Article dated Wed, Dec 11, 2002