Obituary of Virginia Kathryn Nyquist

Virginia Kathryn Nyquist of Duluth, Minn., died Friday at Benedictine Health Center with her family by her side. She was raised and much loved by Charles and Mary Foster. Virginia graduated from Denfeld High School in 1938 and attended two years post-high school studying botany and geology. She married Howard W. Nyquist on February 24, 1944. During WWII, she did her part working at Montgomery Ward in the plumbing department. This opened the door to her lifelong love of knocking down walls and ripping out pipes. She was truly the first "Do It Yourself" person on her block. The joke in the neighborhood? "Virginia is fixing the roof, Howard is holding the ladder." Following Howie's death in 1976, Virginia took a job at Ace Hardware Downtown - the perfect foil for her knowledge of hammers, nails and power tools. Virginia was always a strong woman. She was never afraid of hard work or tearing something down to build it better. She lived in the same house for 93 years, having moved in when she was four-years old. She loved reading and instilled that love of books in her children and their children. She sewed school clothes and made the same outfits for dolls. Woodworking was a passion - full-sized furniture, kitchen cabinets, doll furniture for the houses she built, and signature Santa figures. She loved to travel and was proud to note she had visited nearly every continental state, as well as Hawaii. Having taken up downhill skiing after Howie died, she became a ski-devil, zipping down the hills at Spirit Mountain, in Utah and California. That excitement came to an end when she broke her leg - "...the last run of the day." Virginia's deep faith showed in her ever-present commitment to Christ. She was a member of Second Presbyterian Church and Westminister where she served as deaconess for several years. Her Bible and daily devotional were with her until the end. She taught courage, love, independence and forgiveness. She will be missed dearly. Virginia is survived by daughters Marcia Hales of Duluth, Ann (Rocky) Harris of Huntington, West Virginia, Penny Stauduhar of Duluth; son Douglas (Jill) Nyquist of Duluth; grandchildren Nicole Hales, Ashi Hales, Brandon Harris, Brett Harris, Jaclyn Pyles, Julina Nyquist, and Mark Stauduhar; 25 great-grandchildren. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Touching Hearts at Home, Denfeld Family Medicine, St. Luke's Hospital and the Benedictine Health Center. The care and compassion shown by all eased her last days. Thank you for honoring our mother. Keeping with her love of the Kentucky Derby, a memorial "Run for the Roses" will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2018 from 2-4 at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4100 Grand Ave. Duluth, MN.