Virginia Irene Sunford

Virginia Irene (Anderson) Sunford, 84, died of natural causes Thursday, July 25, 2013, at the Phillips County Hi-Line Retirement Center in Malta, Mont.

She was born on Feb. 27, 1929, in Glasgow, the daughter of Virgil Howard and Blanche (Johnson) Anderson. She was raised on the Milk River near Saco and graduated from Saco High School in 1946. She attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn., and Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., graduating in July of 1985. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Valleytown Central School where she met her husband, Oscar.

On Oct. 19, 1952, she married Oscar Sunford. She lived most of her married life on the Sunford farm near Saco and volunteered as a church organist. She was very active in the Saco Lutheran Church. She enjoyed teaching grandchildren to play pinochle, playing piano, wild flowers, reading the Bible and other literature.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar, on Aug. 15, 2002; her mother, Blanche Pettit; and one sister, Sheri Vikse.

Survivors include two sons, John Sunford and his wife, Barb, and Bob Sunford and his wife, Charlene, both of Saco; two daughters, Mary Berg of Fredrick, Md., and Randi Stutrud and her husband, Mark, of Northville, Mich .; 12 grandchildren, Tom, Jim and his wife, Mandy, and Ann Sunford, Justin Berg, Carrie Simonson and her husband, Jesse, Erika Aw, and her husband, Cheikh, Benn Stutrud and his wife, Joy, Marit Stutrud, Devin Brooks and his wife, Brianna, Karly Lacock and her husband, Jesse, Randi Sunford, and Eric Sunford; and six great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, July 30, at 10 a.m. at the Saco Lutheran Church, followed by interment in the Reitan Cemetery north of Saco.

Bell Mortuary of Glasgow was in charge of arrangements.