Virgil Lindquist passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 16, 2018, in Tucson, Arizona. He was 85 years old. His warm personality and engaging smile will be deeply missed.
Virg was born Sept. 14, 1932, in St. Paul to Emil Fritjof (Fritz) and Jennie Lindquist of Grand Marais. Fritz was a Baptist minister, clerk of court, and finally owned the Shell and Spur service stations in Grand Marais, where Virg worked while growing up. The family also owned two “deep-sea” boats (Sea King and Sea Queen) and Virg would take clients out on Lake Superior to troll for lake trout. After graduating from Cook County High School in 1950, Virg attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he graduated in industrial arts and was also enrolled in the ROTC program. Upon graduating he served in the Air Force for four years, eventually as a pilot stationed mostly in Florida and Texas. After leaving the military, Virg worked in the insurance industry for 50 years, owning his own insurance agency in Grand Marais for 45 years.
In 1962 Virg married Nancy Gunderson Vervoort and they had a long and wonderful marriage together, celebrating their 55th anniversary last March.
They have three children, Jeffrey Vervoort of Pullman, Wash., Jennifer Vervoort-Smith of Phillip Island, Australia, and Barry Lindquist of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Virg lived most of his life in Grand Marais. He and Nancy had a house in Grand Marais and spent summers at their cabin on Devil Track Lake. Virg loved the life up at “the lake.” It was a great place for the kids and grandkids to grow up and also a peaceful place to enjoy life. He and Nancy had a large group of special friends and were part of many lively social gatherings, especially at Devil Track in the summer. His seven grandkids brought Virg great joy: Tyson and Kaitlin Vervoort (Jeff); Harrison and Parker Smith (Jennifer); and Jennifer Becsi, and Keith and Kyle Lindquist (Barry). Virg loved all of his grandkids and they all spent a lot of wonderful time with him—especially in the summer at Devil Track Lake.
Virg and Nancy moved to SaddleBrooke, Arizona in 2000 first as winter residents, spending the summer months at their Devil Track cabin, enjoying the best of both worlds. Virg loved to work around their properties, doing landscaping, carpentry, and other projects—always striving to improve things. He was not one who had much personal experience with idle time.
Virg was well known and respected in the community of Grand Marais and throughout Cook County. When people would have an accident, other major crises, or just wanted advice, Virg would often be the first one to get a call. Virg was blessed with a large circle of friends, both in Cook County and Arizona, who gathered together to celebrate the good times and special occasions and who also supported each other in times of loss and grief. Virg was known for his huge, beaming smile and had a special gift of connecting with people. He always took time to talk with people that he would meet, always with his trademark smile, and made everyone he met feel special and welcome. He loved telling stories, particularly of all the interesting people he had known over the years and had an uncanny ability to remember people’s names and know their interesting stories, usually to great detail. He kept the following passage with him that encapsulated his outlook on life: Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God. He had a very positive impact on the many people he interacted with throughout his long life.
Virg was very active in community service. He served on the North Shore Hospital and Care Center Board for 15 years, 10 years as chairman. He also served on the Arrowhead Electric Board and on the Park and Recreation Board of Grand Marais, among many other contributions to the community. Virg was a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge, a 50-year member of the Grand Marais Lions Club, and a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Grand Marais. Virg was also highly involved in community service in Arizona where he was on the SaddleBrooke Symphony Guild and the Tucson Symphony Board of Trustees. He was active in SaddleBrooke Community Outreach. He was an active member of the Resurrection Lutheran Church.
Virgil is survived by his wife Nancy; sons Jeffrey (Kathleen) and Barry and daughter Jennifer (Rob); sister Janet Lindquist and brother Gordon (Joyce) Lindquist; special niece Dawn Marie Lindquist; grandsons Tyson Vervoort of St. Paul, Harrison and Parker Smith of Minneapolis, and Keith and Kyle Lindquist of Fairbanks, Alaska; granddaughters Jennifer Becsi of Peoria, Ariz. and Kaitlin Vervoort of Syracuse, N.Y.; two great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Virgil is preceded in death by his parents Fritz and Jennie and his brother Donald.
A celebration of life memorial service for Virg will be held this summer at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais on Aug. 2 at 11 a.m. Memorial gifts can be made to the North Shore Hospital and Care Center and the Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
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