Virginia Daly

Virginia Margaret Daly, age 101, resident of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, died June 18, 2019 at the North Idaho Hospice Schneidmiller House in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Virginia and her twin brother Virgil were born April 2, 1918 in Latah County, Idaho to Jess and Vesta (Merryman) Berry.    They were the youngest of four children.   Virginia stayed close to her older sister Zelva (Berry) Brockham and her older brother Archie Berry of Palouse.   She attended school in Palouse, Washington and graduated High School there in 1935.   She then attended the Washington State University and Eastern Washington University, graduating with a degree in Education.   Her first teaching job was a one room, two teacher school in Viola, Idaho, which was east of their home ranch where her brother Virgil was farming.   Her next teaching jobs were in Naches and Tacoma, Washington.

In 1942, she went to work for the U.S.O. as a travelers aid in San Francisco, where she assisted World War II military families on the move.  She married Jim Daly on January 21, 1946, when he was discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps.   They moved to Coeur d’Alene,( Jim’s hometown)  where he went to work for the Veterans Administration.   The couple had three children: Kathy, Mike and Jo.

When her three children were school age, Virginia, returned to teaching.  She taught at the Hayden Lake School and then at Central School in Coeur d’Alene.   In 1962, when the VA office closed in Coeur d’Alene, they transferred to Boise, Idaho, where she taught from 1962 to 1973.    She retired after 30 years of teaching when Jim transferred to Seattle, Washington.   After Jim retired in 1992 they moved back to Hayden Lake, Idaho.   Husband Jim preceded her in death on November 23, 2010.

Virginia was blessed with three children; Kathy ( Mike) Reed, Mike ( Lucinda) Daly and Jo Smith, five grandchildren; Brenda, Carrie, Cynthia, Simon and Rebecca, and six great grandchildren; Alex, Kelsey, Emma, Parker, Kai and Holden.

The family wishes to thank the North Star Retirement Community and the Hospice of North Idaho for their exceptionally loving care of Virginia.

Private graveside services will be held at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.   English Funeral Chapel, Coeur d’Alene has been entrusted with Virginia’s arrangement and care.