Virginia Howard

Virginia Giddings Howard, of Glendale, AZ, passed away on February 1, 2008. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Guy, her children Guy II, Dean, and Anne Marie, her grandchildren Alyssa, Clayton, Steven, Mark, Glen, and Scott, and great-grandson, Shane. She was born Friday, April 13, 1923, in Chicago, IL to Paul and Anna Pearl Giddings. After her fatherÆs death in 1933, her family moved to Michigan and eventually settled in Troy. There she met, fell in love with, and later married a handsome, blond-haired, blue-eyed boy that lived up the street. She was a graduate of Log Cabin High School where she excelled, among other things, in making life-long friends. During World War II, she joined the Air Force to ôfree a man for overseas dutyö. She later said she enjoyed her Air Force experience because it enabled her to travel to new places and meet people from all over the U.S. She was a very intelligent and quick-witted woman who always had time to sit and chat with a friend over a cup of tea. She loved her family, her brothers, Paul and Dean who were her heroes, her friends, a good joke, a beautiful sunset, a beautiful sunrise, road trips, window shopping, Sousa marches and Strauss waltzes, collecting antiques, trains, writing letters to friends, getting letters from friends, working crossword puzzles, deer spotting in the U.P., and even though she didnÆt drink, she loved a good party. She suffered her personal losses in private and even during the worst times maintained her dignity. She always treated everyone as she wished to be treated, so regardless of their situation in life, her attitude was one of respect and compassion. We will always remember her generosity, inner beauty, sparkling blue eyes, beautiful smile and wonderful sense of humor. Her spirit will be in our hearts forever. She is preceded in death by her sons, Robert Bedford and Jon Frederic.