Virginia Tucker Melgaard, 87, died in Lexington, Va., on Oct. 29, 2004, after a long illness. Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004, at the Robert E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church, 123 West Washington St., Lexington, Va. The Harrison Funeral Home & Crematory, Lexington, is handling arrangements.
Ginny and her late husband Tom were 20-year residents of Vandenberg Village, retiring there after careers in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. They were charter members of the Vandenberg Village Country Club. Ginny moved to Virginia in 1999 to be closer to family.
Ginny was born Aug. 8, 1917, in Laredo, Texas. Her fathe's Army career took the family to many stations around the country. In 1936 her father took charge of the ROTC program at the University of California, Berkeley. It was there, while attending the university, that Virginia met Thomas L. Melgaard, whom she married in 1937.
Throughout her life, Ginny was active in the church community, including St. Mar's Episcopal Church, and in volunteer work. She was particularly concerned about improving the lives of relocated Native Americans and volunteered many hours of service to that cause. She took medical training and served as a nursing volunteer in several hospitals, including Lompoc Hospital.
She will be missed by her friends and family. Survivors include her brother, Col. Albert Tucker and his wife Barbara, of Lexington, Va.; a son, Tom Melgaard and his wife, Janet, of Bluemont, Va; a son, John Melgaard and his wife, Cindy, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; a daughter, Karen Melgaard Millar, of Costa Mesa, Calif.; six grandchildren, including Dr. Andrew Millar of Santa Maria, and seven great-grandchildren.
