Virginia F. Milton, 86

Published 9:44 am Thursday, December 11, 2014

Virginia F. Milton, 86, of Austin, Minnesota, died at her home on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014.

Milton

Virginia was born Jan. 21, 1928, to Virgil and Jeanette (Maxson) Dotzenrod in Preston, Minnesota. She graduated from Austin High School and from the Austin Junior College. Virginia married Dale Milton on Aug. 28, 1948, at the First United Methodist Church in Austin.

In 1955, Virginia began working two nights a week at Austin Bowl. As time went on, she organized bowling leagues and kept averages. She became a certified bowling instructor and taught junior bowling for 18 years. She organized and instructed the first college bowling team at Riverland. Virginia helped start the Bowling Hall of Fame to which she was inducted into in 1973. She league-bowled for 61 years and she helped run the Minnesota State Bowling Tournament at Echo Lanes for two years.

In 1975, Virginia began selling advertising for the Mower County Shopper. She was the top sales associate in the company for a number of years. From 1986 until her retirement in 2007, Virginia worked as a real estate agent.

Virginia was a charter member of Fellowship Methodist Church and later a member of First United Methodist Church. She sang in the church choir for 73 years.

Virginia was known as “Karaoke Grandma” because she was a talented karaoke singer. She enjoyed bowling and loved to spend time at her cabin in Crosslake, Minnesota.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Dale in 2002; brother Charles Dotzenrod; friend and companion Jim Rogers; brother-in-law Harlan Lysne, and sister-in-law Carol Dotzenrod.

Virginia is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Charles Peitso, Apple Valley, Minnesota; her son David Milton, Austin, Minnesota; three grandchildren: Ryan (Kristen) Christopherson, Ashley (Kyle) Cegielski, and Matthew Peitso; three great-grandchildren: Emily, Sydney and Kaylie; brother Darrell Dotzenrod, Austin, Minnesota; sister Eileen Lysne, Austin, Minnesota; sister-in-law Marilyn Dotzenrod, Plymouth, Massachusetts; nieces, nephews and cousins.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2014, at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Marilee Benson officiating. Interment will be at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and at the church for one hour before the service on Saturday morning.