Myrta Lodge

VIRGINIA LODGE

Cedar Rapids

Myrta Virginia Smith Lodge, 91, passed away

Sunday, June 15, 2014, at her home. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Burial will be at Oakridge Cemetery in West Liberty following the service. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Cedar Memorial Park

Funeral Home.

Myrta Virginia Smith Lodge was born April 7, 1923, at Pine Ridge Farm, near West Liberty, Iowa, to C. Earl and Helen Swain Smith. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Myrta Virginia Baker Swain. Virginia attended country school at Union Valley School in

Cedar County and at Hazel Dell School in Muscatine County, graduated from West Liberty High School in 1941, worked a year in Drs. Royal and Robertson's office, enrolled at Iowa State College (now University) and graduated in foods and nutrition in May 1946, followed by her internship in dietetics at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where she received her Master's Degree from the University of Iowa in August 1947. She remained on the dietary staff at University Hospitals

until 1950.

She married Duane E. Lodge on Dec 31, 1947. Five children were born to this family, Marilyn, Steven, Helen Lee, Loren and Kevin. They were divorced in 1985.

Virginia worked as a consultant dietitian in small hospitals and nursing homes in Waukon, West Union, Decorah, all in Iowa, and in Eitzen, Minn. When the family moved to West Des Moines, she worked as a staff dietitian at Iowa Methodist

Hospital, and as a consultant dietitian for the Iowa Jewish Home and the Mahaska County Hospital in Oskaloosa. She taught at Des Moines Technical High School/Central Campus for 22 and a half years, retiring in 1992 at age 69. She moved to Meth-Wick in

Cedar Rapids in 1999.

Virginia was a lifelong active member of the United Methodist Church and a 70 plus year member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, currently in Chapter DK.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her son, Steven in 1961; and by her sister, Dora Lee Stagg in 2012.

Virginia is survived by her children, Marilyn of

Cedar Rapids, Helen Lee of Nevada, Mo., Loren of Glidden and Kevin and wife Lana of Cedar Rapids and their daughters, Hannah and Sarah; by her brother-in-law, Bob and his wife, Jean Lodge of Mesa, Ariz.; four nieces; and a nephew.

Virginia valued time with her family. Travel,

genealogy, ceramics and word games were her hobbies. She was pleased with her family's participation in church music and was very proud of her granddaughters' talents.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids or a charity of your choice.