Obituary of Virginia Lee Maguire

Virginia was born in San Francisco and lived her most of her life in Glendale, California. She had a keen moral compass, a razor-sharp wit, as well as a fierce heart and an interest in always fighting for what she felt was right. Freshly graduated from USC, but in 1967 she started her career as a social worker as a HSA1 at County of Los Angeles DPSS. Virginia met the love of her life: my mother, Avonelle. Their life together met many challenges, as Virginia retired from her job in 2000 and promptly fought breast cancer in 2001. After my mother’s passing, Virginia decided time had to keep on going in a way that was still meaningful and dedicated towards the service of others. She became a staple at the local church in Acton and surrounded herself with friends as much as she did with responsibilities within her community. Although we did not share DNA, Virginia was very much my mother. She witnessed my daughter’s birth in 2004 and supported us in any way she could. When she wasn’t holding a book between her hands, she held a pencil and a Sudoku puzzle. She had to watch her Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, EVERY night. I remember her best like that: eating chocolate like there was no tomorrow, petting one of her many beloved cats, a cup of coffee by her side. Her breath always smelled like that: chocolate and coffee. It was rather fitting, of the sweetness she made out of sometimes bitter moments and finding balance in between. Virginia’s mind began to decline in 2019, when it started being affected by dementia. The once wordy, quick-witted woman I knew was still there, but slowly faded away until her passing in 2022. Virginia loved hard, lived hard, and taught me how to find that bittersweet balance of my own. She will be missed, remembered, and deeply celebrated.