Virginia Golden

Virginia E. Golden, 95, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Flora, Ill., passed away at Chateau Girardeau Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008.

She was born Oct. 19, 1912, at Morrison, Ill., daughter of J.W. and Cora Smaltz Lasher. She married Stephen R. Golden in Harvey, Ill., Sept. 2, 1933.

Mrs. Golden attended Brown's Business College in Clinton, Iowa, and then went to work at the University of Illinois in Urbana as a secretary in the agronomy department of the College of Agriculture.

At the university she met S.R. Golden and he worked for the USDA Soil Conservation Service for 14 years, and then they started farming in Flora.

S.R. Golden passed away in 1989 and she remained on the family farm until ill health caused her to relocate to Cape Girardeau in 2003. She was an active Christian who played the piano and organ for North Harter Christian Church and continued to play after she moved to Chateau Girardeau. While in Cape Girardeau she became a member of Mount Auburn Christian Church and a member of Southeast Missouri Hospital Auxiliary.

Survivors include a son, Douglas (Audrey) Golden of Cape Girardeau; a daughter, Roberta (Jim) Kiser of Rancho Mirage, Calif.; four grandsons, Stephen (Cathy), Brad (Martha) of Cape Girardeau, Robert Crisman of Delmar, Calif., J.J. (Debbie) of Cottage Grove, Ore.; five great-grandchildren, Carrie (Justin) Cain and Ben Golden of Cape Girardeau, Matthew Golden with the U.S. Navy in Gulfport, Miss., Kellen and Sean Crisman of San Diego.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and a brother.

Visitation was from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Neal Funeral Home in Louisville, Ill.

The funeral was at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be given to Southeast Hospice in Missouri or North Harter Christian Church of Louisville.