June 10, 1935 - July 17, 2023
Funeral Service for Virginia M. Holcomb, age 88, will be 11 a.m., Saturday, July 22, 2023, at the East Chain Lutheran Church in East Chain, Minn. Burial will be following the service at the East Chain Lutheran Church Cemetery in East Chain. Visitation will be held Friday, July 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Lakeview Funeral Home in Fairmont. Virginia passed away Monday, July 17, 2023, at her home in Fairmont. The Lakeview Funeral Home in Fairmont is assisting the family with arrangements.
Virginia was the fifth of six children born into the second Allison family in Fort Dodge. Due to the early death of their mother, Virginia and her older siblings found themselves living with various families in the Fort Dodge area at early ages. She worked by caring for the family’s children and later as a nurse’s aide at the Fort Dodge hospital while going to high school. Those experiences helped form a sense of feisty independence that was apparent to all who knew her over the years.
After graduation in 1953, she was married to Richard Bauer and moved to rural Woolstock where they began in farming. Three children were born to this marriage: Elaine, Jeffery and Rhonda. The family moved to a farm near Fenton in 1960, where she worked and raised her children. Virginia loved farm life and appreciated the beauty of her garden, flowers and caring for the animals but especially for any and all cats that appeared at her door. She found friendship and community through active participation in the neighborhood women’s groups, Modern Mixers Club and Thimble Club, as well as the local school organizations such as Sentral High School Band Mothers.
Virginia was married to Laurel Holcomb on March 27, 1978, and moved to the Holcomb family farm where she could continue her commitment to work alongside her husband. She enjoyed her years with Laurel and the East Chain community by joining him in welcoming whoever happened to drive in the yard to the house for coffee and baked goods. Together they provided a Saturday morning coffee time at the Dan and Terry Whitman home, the former East Chain grocery store, where the entire neighborhood could catch up on the week’s news.
It was in those 28 years with Laurel that Virginia was able to realize her tireless drive to serve others through numerous volunteer activities: UHD Hospice visitor, CREST mailings, serving breakfast at the Lutz Wing, and food preparation at the Martin County Fair in the 4-H food stand. She both talked and listened with new and old friends while polishing fingernails at Goldfinch and Temperance Ridge. Virginia was an active member of the East Chain Lutheran Church and served her church in many ways. One of her favorites was sewing quilts for mission projects. She was honored with an award by the Fairmont community for her many years of volunteer service. Possibly her greatest joy was the yearly baking spree before Christmas in making and delivering over 20 heaping platters of seasonal sweet treats to individuals and businesses of which CPS Elevator employees received the biggest one.
Virginia was devoted to her large extended family that included two sisters from her father’s first family, the six siblings from the second family, the six half-brothers and sisters from the third family as well as her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
Virginia is survived by her children: Elaine Miller (Bob Frieberg), Jeffery (Angie) Bauer, and Rhonda Bauer (Jack Minson); grandchildren, Karl (Shellee) Miller, Karyn (Francis) Schwagel, and Russell (Jennifer) Bauer; great-grandchildren, Silkee and Denver Miller, Ella and Kathryn Schwagel, and Addison, Liliuana and Sophie Bauer; brothers and sisters, Don (Ferol) Allison, Joyce (Cecil) Phipps, Vern Allison, Tootie Allison, Jim (Lois) Allison, Eva (Mike) Fisher, and Donna (Kenny) Johnson. She was preceded in death by her husband Laurel Holcomb; brother Richard Allison; sisters Verna May Dudley, Delores Schultze, Mardella Donaldson, Caroline Sinclair; her nephews Roger Schultze, Kevin Schultze, Dennis Schultze, Bruce Phipps and Mike Allison; and her beloved cat Oreo.
Memories and stories of Virginia will be treasured. She will surely be missed by family, friends, neighbors and the wider community.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be left in Virginia’s name to UHD Hospice, CREST, the Red Rock Center, Fairmont Opera House, or the East Chain Lutheran Church.