Virginia Van

<span style="font-size: 14pt">THE PLAINS - Virginia Van Auken, 88, of The Plains, passed away Sunday, December 7, 2008 at Hickory Creek Nursing Center after a prolonged illness. <span style="font-size: 14pt">Born October 11, 1920 in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late William H and Hazel Bell Tobias Graf. <span style="font-size: 14pt">She was a 1937 graduate of Lancaster High School and married on February 14, 1941 Charles Van Auken who passed away in 1996. They happily resided in Dayton, where they were members of Emmanuel Catholic Church. She retired as Catalog Supervisor from JCPenney at the Town and Country Shopping Center in Kettering, OH. After a few short weeks of retirement, Virginia began fulfilling her career at The Mulberry Tree in Kettering, OH. After 60 years in Dayton, she relocated to Athens, in 2001, to be close to her loving family. Virginia loved tending to her flowerbeds. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother and will be sadly missed by her family and friends. <span style="font-size: 14pt">She is survived by two children, Julie (Tony) Meek of ATHENS and Michael (Pamela) Van Auken of Shade; granddaughter, Amanda Van Auken of The Plains; two step grandsons, Samual (Heather) Meek of Albany and Tony Meek II of Athens; five step great grandchildren, Jordan, Charlotte, Haylee, Shane and Logan Meek. She also leaves behind extended family and friends too numerous to name. <span style="font-size: 14pt">Besides her parents she was preceded in death by her beloved husband in 1996, her two brothers, Paul and Robert, and her sister, Madeleine. <span style="font-size: 14pt">Services will be Thursday at 10 AM at Hughes-Moquin Funeral Home with Mnsr Patrick Gaughn officiating. Graveside services will be held Thursday at noon at St. Marychr(39)s Cemetery in Lancaster with Father Donald Franks officiating. Friends may call at the funeral home Wednesday from 6 to 8 PM. <span style="font-size: 14pt">You may send a message of sympathy to the family at <a href="http://www.hughesmoquinfuneralhome.com/">www.hughesmoquinfuneralhome.com.