Virginia (Ginny) Rae Kaukola, 90, passed away peacefully on the evening of Christmas Day at The Estates of Bloomington nursing home in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Virginia was born in International Falls, Minnesota to Edwin and Evelyn Erickson on July 20, 1934.  She grew up in Orr, Minnesota, where she went through high school, graduating in 1952.  She was married to Arvid Kaukola on April 18, 1953, and later had three children, Steven, Anne, and Katherine (Katy).  Arvid and Virginia owned and operated a bulk oil business, which served the Orr, Kabetogama, and Crane Lake area.  That business was later sold in 1979, following her husband suffering a stroke the previous year, and passing in 1985.  Virginia enrolled at the Vermillion Junior College in Ely in 1980, and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education from the University of Wisconsin at Superior in 1984.  She taught Business courses at the Control Data Institute and later the Minnesota School of Business in Minneapolis until the late 1990s.  After retirement she worked part-time at Herberger's Department Store in Bloomington for a few years.  She also spent 36 consecutive summers at her cabin on Myrtle Lake, east of Orr, from 1982 through 2018, and spent time with her daughter Katy, and grandchildren at Ash River.

She will long be known as a strong but loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who gave and supported whenever she could, to all of her family.  Virginia had a very interesting life full of good and challenging times, and was well-known in the Orr area all of her life.  In her younger years, she liked to pick wild blueberries with a friend or relative, and was very proficient at cooking and baking.  She liked to read, and encouraged her children to read.  Some of her treasured possessions were collections of antique dishes and glassware, as well as many knick-knacks and ornaments.   Her whole family traveled to Europe in 1971, and she made many trips around the western US later on.  Virginia had many close friends, most of whom have preceded her in passing.  She was forced to spend the last three years of her life in a nursing home.  While her mental faculties slowly declined, Virginia was visited frequently by friends and family, and family members were at her bedside during much of her last days.  She will be sadly missed.

Virginia was preceded in death by her husband Arvid, and her brother Lowell Erickson.  She is survived by her son Steven, daughters Anne Plerchee, and Katy Ebel, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will take place at The American Legion in Orr, MN on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 11:00am. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.