Virginia Catheryn Surbaugh Hall

July 29, 1920 – Dec. 1, 2015

Our mother, Virginia Catheryn Surbaugh Hall, passed away peacefully in the early morning of Dec. 1, 2015 with loved ones close by. She lived a long and productive life and we all have been touched by her generous spirit.

Virginia, who was affectionately known as “Granny” by her grandchildren, was born July 29, 1920 in Abraham, West Virginia, the second child of Mary Elizabeth Bennett and John Ezra Surbaugh. On January 13, 1940 she married John Scott “Jack” Hoffman. Jack worked for the C&O Railroad and Virginia was a young woman working in the Depot Lunch Café in Thurmond, West Virginia when they met.

She and Jack had two children, Tom and Mary Sue. In 1947 John was killed by a train while working in Prince, West Virginia. Virginia and her children were encouraged by her brother, Ralph Ezra “Johnny” Surbaugh to come west to Idaho to be close by him and his wife, Betty. She did make the big move, settled in Lewiston, Idaho and never again traveled back to West Virginia.

To support herself, she chose to become a hairdresser and after attending training and obtaining a license, she worked many years for Evelyn Humphreys at the House of Beauty on 5th Street in Lewiston. In 1968 she married Clarence Hall who was in Idaho working on the construction of Dworshak Dam. She and Clarence enjoyed exploring the backroad areas of Northern Idaho, and Montana and to enable her to be more independent, Clarence taught Virginia to drive when she was about 50 years of age.

Virginia was widowed again, in 1980.  She remained in the Lewiston/ Clarkston area for another twenty years, and by this time had retired from the hairdressing trade and had become a librarian for the Asotin County Library System.

She moved to the Bothell, Washington area in 2000 to be closer to her family. Virginia was preceded in death by her parents and five siblings: Chester, Mable, Ralph, Gloria and Joyce. She is survived by her children, Tom (Jennette) Hoffman and Sue Stedman, 7 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren. Also she is survived by four brothers, Richard (Betty) in Harbeson, Delaware, Kenneth (Shirley) in Roanoke, Virginia, Raymond (Marge) in Rainelle, West Virginia and Jackie in N Bend, Oregon.

Burial will be near her brother, Ralph Ezra Surbaugh in the Bess Hampton Memorial Garden in Othello, Washington.