Virginia Gordon

Virginia Maxine (Ball) Gordon was born on October 7, 1927, in a farm home four miles SE of Woodward, IA., on Bittersweet Road to her parents, Marion K Ball and Daisy Marian Ball

Virginia moved to a farm SE of Ames, IA, where she began grade school in a country school in the fall of 1933. In March of the next year, she moved with her parents to a farm SE of Woodward, IA. She continued her eight years of grade school at Center School in Des Moines Township, bundling up and walking two miles to school in the winter time with the neighbor kids.

She began riding a horse when she was four years old and spent much of her time riding.

She went on to ninth grade at Woodward Independent School and graduated from there in 1945. Her dad rented a barn in Woodward so she could ride her horse to school. Needless to say, that didn't last long. Next, she tried riding a neighbor boy’s bicycle the six miles which was slightly up hill all the way. That didn't last long either, so she began riding with a neighbor boy until she was old enough to drive Dad's car to school.

Virginia began working at the Brenton State Bank in Woodward while she was still in high school. After her graduation she began working at Bankers Life, in Des Moines and rode home on weekends on the In-Urban train to Woodward. Later she went back to work at the Brenton Bank when a full-time position became available.

Virginia married Ronald Roy Gordon March 15, 1947. They lived in Woodward a short time, then moved to Des Moines, where she began working at the Valley Bank on 4th and Walnut. They spent their free time on weekends, going to Minnesota fishing, while living in Des Moines.

After living in Des Moines three years, she and Ronald bought an acreage, SE of Woodward. They sold it in 1954 and bought 40 acres SE of Madrid, IA. Their son, Darwin was born in June of 1954. Virginia began staying at home caring for Darwin and helping Ronald with the farm work, since he was working at the John Deere factory in Ankeny. She became interested in farrowing baby pigs, which was the beginning of a profitable feeder pig sales adventure. In 1971 she and Ronald sold the 40 acres and bought 120 acres to add to some other land purchases. They quit raising hogs and buying feeder calves and began to only grain farm, raising com and soybeans. Virginia was a full-time partner in the farming operation and enjoyed operating the tractors doing field work and driving trucks to the grain bins and the co-op elevator.

She always had a large vegetable garden and canned a lot of fruits and vegetables, along with doing yard work. She enjoyed her grandchildren and attending their activities. She especially enjoyed going to watch them compete in the horse events. She enjoyed watching all sports, especially the Iowa State Cyclones. She also enjoyed TV game shows and was an avid reader. They did some traveling to Hawaii, California, Lake Havasu, Las Vegas, and some southern states including New Orleans.

She was preceded in death by her husband of sixty years, Ronald and her parents. She is survived by her son Darwin Gordon, daughter-in-law Janice Gordon, granddaughter Raena (Matt) Orr, grandson Seth (Jennifer) and two great grandsons, Blake and Nathan Gordon.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, May 2, 2025, at the Iles-Sundberg-Kirkpatrick Chapel in Madrid. Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025, from 4-7 p.m. Burial will be in the Hillsdale Cemetery, rural Madrid.