Roderick William Virgo

1919 - 2001  (82 years)

• Name	Roderick William Virgo
  Born	20 Mar 1919	Dickey, North Dakota, USA
  Gender	Male
  _UID	65916B7906134ED1801B4BB2A83B3A51185B
  Died	21 Aug 2001	New York, New York, USA
  Person ID	I20823	My Big Tree
  Last Modified	24 Aug 2013

  
  

  Father	Roderick Virgo,   b. 5 Aug 1898, North Dakota, USA ,   d. 1962, New York, New York, USA  (Age 63 years)
  Mother	Gladys Lillian Dommett,   b. 1894, Braemore, Hampshire England ,   d. 1982, New York, New York, USA  (Age 88 years)
  Married	9 Feb 1918	North Dakota, USA
  Family ID	F7450	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Dorothy Grime,   b. 1919, USA ,   d. 1974, New York, New York, USA  (Age 55 years)
  Children	1. Barbara Virgo   2. Dick Virgo   3. Phil Virgo   4. Jim Virgo
  Last Modified	6 May 2012
  Family ID	F7451	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Ruth Penoyer Washbon
  Married	1976
  Last Modified	24 Aug 2013
  Family ID	F8476	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Commendation for Lieutenant Virgo 1946 , Japan Auburn, NY Citizen Advertiser, September 10 (?) 1946 Commendation for Lieutenant Virgo Word has been received in King Ferry that Second Lieut. Roderick W. Virgo of the 17th Ordnance Company, now stationed in Japan near Tokyo, has received the army commendation ribbon. His citation reads in part: "From the day on which you assumed command of the 27th Ordnance Company until the present date, you have consistently maintained a high degree of efficiency in that organization with the result that your organization is one of the most highly rated Ordnance organizations in this theater. Although you were required to rebuild your company twice during the period in which you were in command, you supervised the training of your replacements with great efficiency, with the result that the operational record of your company showed no letdown. Through your efforts to alleviate the rigors of the occupation for your men, you have been instrumental in maintaining a high degree of morale in the company which reflects great credit upon your abilities as a commanding officer." The citation was signed William C. Chase, major general. Lieutenant Virgo is a native of Cazenovia, where his wife and two children now reside. Before entering the armed service he was teacher of agriculture at King Ferry Central School, where he still holds a contract to teach. Roderick W. Virgo Obituary Roderick William Virgo died of heart failure at St. Joseph's Hospital on August 21, 2001. He was born on March 20, 1919, in Dickey, ND, to Gladys Dommett Virgo and Roderick Joseph Virgo. After several years of drought in North Dakota, the family moved east and took up farming in New York State, first in Whitney Point and then in Cazenovia. As a high school student in Cazenovia, he was a protege of Frank Vaughn, his Agriculture teacher, and worked at Johnny's Chocolate Shop to earn money for college. He began dating Dorothy Grime during high school and married her soon after he graduated from the School of Agriculture at Cornell University in 1941. After college, he worked briefly at the Mitchell Feed Co-Op in King Ferry, NY, and then became the King Ferry high school Agriculture teacher. Shortly after his second child was born, he entered WWII. He served his country in Japan as a first lieutenant. In 1949, he moved his family back to Cazenovia, where he remained for the rest of his life. Soon thereafter he received his Master's Degree in Agriculture from Cornell. He worked at Cazenovia High School for many years, first as the Agriculture teacher and then, after receiving his Master's in Counseling from Syracuse University, as the High School Guidance Counselor and finally as Vice Principal. He then became the registrar at Morrisville College and remained in that position until he retired. After the death of his first wife, he married Ruth Penoyer Washbon in 1976. He was an active member of the Cazenovia Methodist church for most of his life, and for the past 8 years he and his wife Ruth have been active members of the Cazenovia Baptist Church where he served as Trustee. He sang in the choir in both churches and also was a member of a male quartet. Near retirement he felt the need to have a working hobby. He read about bee keeping, and with the guidance of bee-keeping friends, he cared for 16 hives of bees and harvested the honey. He always had a large vegetable garden, and planted many mums of all different colors during his lifetime. Throughout his life he was good at carpentry, and in retirement, he began a career as a picture framer. Many a picture in Cazenovia is adorned with his handiwork. For many years, he and Ruth were enthusiastic members of the Cazenovia Swingers Dance Club. His community invovement includes having been a charter member of CAVAC, working with the Office of the Aging by helping seniors do their taxes, and taking seniors to doctor's appointments, and serving on committees such as CACC. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Virgo; four children, Barbara Hobbs from Winston-Salem NC, Dick Virgo from Huron OH, Phil Virgo from Gaithersburg, MD, and Jim Virgo from Jamesville, NY; and three step children, Darlene Berdeen from Stittville NY, Donna Barber from Groton NY, and Ken Washbon who lives in Cazenovia. He has 13 grandchildren, including four who live nearby--Adam and Kimberly Washbon wwho loved doing chores and playing games with their grandparents and three-month old twins Bejamin and Allison Virgo, who were born in time to sit in his lap more than once before he died. His one surviving brother, Jim Virgo, lives in Fairfax, SC.