April 22, 1934 – March 6, 2026
Our memories of you will never fade.
Not a day will go by we won’t think of you,
And wish you could have stayed.
Virginia Sproat
On March 6, 2026, at the age of 91 years Virginia Sproat passed away quietly with her daughters by her side. At the time she resided in Auburn, WA.
She was born in Bellflower, CA, the youngest daughter of Meint and Gerrittje Stoker who emigrated to the U.S. from the Netherlands in 1930-31. Although born in the U.S., Virginia wore her Dutch heritage proudly.
In her mid-teens the family bought a small dairy farm and moved to Hobart, Washington. It was while attending Tahoma High School that Virginia met her husband Leroy. They married in 1953, and in the early 1960’s bought their first home in Renton, WA, where they raised their three daughters.
When her daughters were in their teens Virginia began her education in accounting. With her talent for numbers, she was a natural at bookkeeping, and renowned for her skill at mental arithmetic. She worked as a bookkeeper in different industries until she retired.
For several years after their daughters left home Leroy’s job took them to California. They met new friends and had lots of fun in the sun before they returned to Washington in the mid-1970’s to purchase their second home in Port Angeles, WA. They lived there, surrounded by the beauty of the Olympic National Park, for 45 years. After they retired, their interest in gold-panning and metal detecting took Virginia and Leroy to scenic places in the Western U.S. and Canada where they had adventures that lived in their memories for years to come.
Virginia was an outdoors person her entire life. She worked on her family’s dairy farm as a teen and spent many a vacation fishing, camping, gold-panning, and treasure hunting with Leroy. She also was an expert gardener and created and meticulously maintained a beautiful landscape for their home in Port Angeles reflecting the natural beauty of the forest surrounding their property.
She was a lifelong animal lover and always had at least one pet whose companionship gave her great joy. Caring for the well-being of the abundant local wildlife kept her busy and gave her great satisfaction.
Virginia was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Leroy and by her daughter, Roxanne (Hudson). She is survived by her daughters Linda (Barber) and Rosanne (McPherson), and her 4 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and 2 great great-granddaughters.
She was one-of-a-kind, and we will always admire her strength, her unshakeable sense of ethics and fair play, and her determination to do the right thing.
We’ll miss you, Mom.
Graveside services for Virginia and Leroy will be held in the future at Greenwood Memorial in Renton, Washington.
The post first appeared on Barton Family Funeral Service.