Obituary: Virginia Coolidge Greenfeldt

Virginia Coolidge Greenfeldt passed away at Scandia Village on April 2, 2017, three days before her 97th birthday. She is survived by her three children, Vance (Jinny) Gudmundsen, Gail Gudmundsen (Mead Killion) and Lynn Gudmundsen, her three grandsons, Theodore, Jake, and Peter Gudmundsen and one great grandson, John Vance Gudmundsen. Her husband, Lorman Greenfeldt (Washington Island), preceded her in death.

Virginia was raised in Winnetka, Illinois, and she raised her children there as well. She first came to Door County with her children on vacation in the 1950s and loved the community. Soon thereafter she opened a knitting shop in Ephraim, which she kept open in the summers, named Ull Butikk (wool shop) in the Scandinavian tradition. The shop was in the current Chef’s Hat location. Virginia was known for her custom-ordered flag sweaters, each uniquely designed, for which she painstakingly created patterns by coloring graph paper (each square a stitch) with different country or signal flags.

She made her permanent home in Baileys Harbor in 1969, where she owned and operated The 57 Shop (currently Nathan Nichols) until her retirement.

Virginia was known as Ginnie to most of her friends. She was a good listener, and many younger people thought of her as a second mother. She was an avid backgammon, bridge and Scrabble player, and she loved complicated jigsaw puzzles. She loved to dance, listen to music, and play ‘40s standards on the piano. Ginnie maintained her playful wit, teasing sense of humor and interest in people throughout her life.

Virginia was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sister Bay. A memorial service will be held in May.

Online registration and condolences may be offered at www.caspersonfuneralhome.com