Lehr, Virginia Kent

Virginia Kent Lehr, 97, of Cedar Rapids, passed away Saturday, March 5, 2011, at St. Luke's Hospital following a short illness. There will be no visitation. A celebration of her life will take place at 11 a.m. March 19, 2011, at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories by St. Luke's Chaplain Susan Sweeney.

Virginia was born on Sept. 12, 1913, in Chicago. Her father, a congregational minister, was pastor of the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. As a result of her father's different parishes, Virginia and her six siblings grew up in different parts of Illinois and Iowa. After finishing high school, she graduated from St Luke's School of Nursing. She then worked her way through college as the school nurse at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., where she met her future husband Sylvan M. Lehr. Her father, the Rev. William Kent, married them in the Little Brown Church in 1939. Virginia taught nursing in Chicago as Sylvan finished medical school, they then moved to Cedar Rapids, where he practiced medicine and they raised their two children, Barbara and Stuart. Sylvan passed away in 1992.

Virginia was an accomplished seamstress and knitter and made many of her own clothes as well as gifts. She volunteered at St. Luke's Flower Shop and was a member of PEO. She and Sylvan were members of Westminster Presbyterian Church where they both served as elders. They enjoyed the Cedar Rapids Symphony, playing bridge with longtime friends and loved to travel. Wonderful memories of visiting all 50 states as a family are treasured.

Virginia and Sylvan continued their journeys by running many Chamber of Commerce Tours to Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Asia. However, her main interest was being wife and mother. She felt it was important to sit down to family meals each evening and later she cherished her role as “gramma” to her beloved grandsons.

Virginia will be remembered as extremely caring, loyal and generous to her family and friends. She always possessed a smile - a beautiful smile - and a thoughtful word for everyone she met. She had boundless energy and was always eager for any adventure. She had an intense love of anything related to the Little Brown Church and just recently discovered the joys of Bingo.

Virginia was preceded in death by her husband, three brothers and a sister.

She is survived by her daughter, Barbara West and son-in-law Hal West of Charlottesville, Va.; her son, Dr. Stuart K. Lehr and daughter-in-law Sheryl (Nassif) Lehr and two grandsons, S. Kent and Peter Lehr of West Des Moines.

She is also survived by her sister, Kathryn Harris of New Hampton, Iowa.

The family expresses a special thanks to all the wonderful nurses and staff at Methwick's Custom Care Unit. She constantly expressed her good fortune in living there to all. Also to the nurses and staff at St. Luke's Hospital who have held a special place with the Lehr family.

Virginia enjoyed a long life and a family who loved her dearly. She will be greatly missed. May she rest in peace.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Lehr Health Science Library at St. Luke's Methodist Hospital or St Luke's Hospice.

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