Virginia Killinger

Virginia Killinger, 92 of Hot Springs died Tuesday, August 19th at Rapid City Regional Hospital Hospice unit.

She was born September 2, 1915 at Hollandale, Mississippi to Dr. George H. and Virginia Spivey. Her young childhood was spent in Greenville, Mississippi and she often related stories of the great Mississippi flood of 1927 when she accompanied her father on medical rounds to families isolated by the flood. The Spiveys later moved to Tucson, Arizona where she graduated from high school and junior college and attended the University of Arizona. The family moved to the Hot Springs VA Medical Center when Virginia was in college. In Hot Springs she met Ladd Killinger and they were married August 16, 1937 at Edgemont, SD.

Virginia lived in Hot Springs for 65 years. She was employed by VA Medical Center social services until retirement in 1981. During retirement she traveled extensively visiting China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales and Canada as well as most of the United States.

In 2002 she moved to Edgewood Vista in Spearfish where she resided for five years. In 2007 she was able to return to her beloved Hot Springs and lived at Pine Hills Retirement Community where she had a view of her favorite scenery, the Seven Sisters. She was cared for daily by granddaughter Kara Jacobson and considered it a blessing to have Kara with her for a year. One of Virginia's last trips was to the new Hot Springs library which she was a proponent of for many years. She was happy to see it completed in her lifetime.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Ladd, brother, Howard Spivey and sons Joe and Tom Killinger.

Survivors include daughter Pokey (Leo) Jacobson of Sturgis; granddaughter Kara Jacobson (Brook Voorhees) of Sturgis; daughter-in-law Jane Killinger, Rapid City; granddaughter Jill (Jon) Nelson and great grandchildren Joshua, Micah and Isabel of Mission Viejo, California; grandson Jake (Becky) Killinger and great-granddaughters Hannah and Kierra Jo of Springfield, Illinois. Other survivors include three nieces; Adele Stehley and family of Pennsylvania, Virginia Spivey and Marie Yancey and family of Texas.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, August 23rd at 10:00 AM at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Hot Springs with burial to follow at Evergreen Cemetery in Hot Springs.

In lieu of flowers the family request memorial donations to Friends of the Hot Springs Public Library, 441 North River St., Hot Springs, SD 57747.

Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Isburg Funeral Chapels and Crematory Service of Spearfish and McColley's Chapel of the Hill in Hot Springs. Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com