Virginia Green

Virginia Madge Raban Green was born and raised in the small town of St. Johns, Arizona. She worked hard on ‘the ranch’ outside of town during the summer and harvest months and in the house in town during school and winter. She learned to be frugal helping her mother sew, keep house and cook for her eight siblings and ranch hands.
Virginia and her sister Norene were very close (only 10 months apart in age) and had the same friends and teachers at school. During their high school years they met two good-looking men that were stationed near St. Johns at an air force training facility. Norene fell in love with Ray and on a dare from Norene, Virginia married Ray’s best friend Smith Bernard “Barney” Green just after her 16th birthday.
Barney’s career in flying led to many exciting adventures and a life of constant moves and changes. They lived in Arizona (4 separate times and cities), California (5 separate times and cities), Texas (3 separate times and cities), Utah (5 separate times and cities), Alabama, Illinois, Colorado, Hawaii, Canada and New Zealand.
Most of the time Barney would leave to start work and Virginia would be left behind to pack the house belongings, sell anything that couldn’t go with them, pay the final bills, and get herself and the kids to wherever he was. She became a master packer and not once did they break any furniture or have any major mishaps.
Their biggest adventure was to New Zealand. The day to day life there was very different and Virginia learned to make many new recipes and many lifetime friends. Their journey home from New Zealand was the highlight of it all. They left for home on a new steamship and traveled international waters for six weeks, stopping at ports in Japan, Hong Kong, and Hawaii.
Virginia loved to cook and sew. She made most of her own clothes and sewed for her children and grandchildren. She was always interested in fashion magazines and a favorite pastime as a young girl was to get the latest JC Penny catalog so she could fashion her own homemade clothing from the newest clothing lines.
Virginia and Barney are the proud parents of 3 children, 14 grandchildren and 41 great grandchildren. They all champion the wonderful life she lived. She remained faithful and active in the LDS church, served an honorable mission with her husband and learned how to do hard things well, including enduring to the end. With love and respect they consider Virginia a GREAT LADY.