Remembering Virginia Blain
Virginia Rae Blain, retired business manager for the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences Family Practice Clinic, passed away peacefully on May 20 at Pelican Landing in Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Virginia (Ginny) was the adopted child of William and Gertrude Black. She was raised in Grand Forks, N.D., and graduated from Central High School. Ginny attended the University of North Dakota where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. She studied physical education.
Ginny married William Blain in September of 1954 and began a life of travel, adventure, and parenting four beautiful daughters: Elizabeth Veeder of rural Watford City, N.D.; Patricia Mitchel of Glendale, Ariz.; Holly Sandhurst of Detroit Lakes, Minn.; Barbara Erickson of Maple Grove, Minn. Together, the family includes 11 grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. The family brought joy into Ginny’s life.
Ginny was active in Girl Scouts. She was a group leader at Girl Scout Summer Camp where she taught swimming and served as a lifeguard. Later, Ginny served as a volunteer Girl Scout neighborhood chairman.
She worked in her family business, Black’s Sweet Shop, and later as a receptionist in the Office of the Registrar at University of North Dakota. After a move to Fargo, Ginny became the business manager of the UND Medical School Family Practice Clinic.
During the years when Ginny’s daughters were young, the family were avid campers and traveled across the country. Ginny cooked the family meals over the camp stove and made sure that everyone had their sleeping bags and special places in the tent. Every night was an adventure.
Ginny had a passion for flowers and always had a garden in her care. She loved to play bridge and found bridge partners wherever she was, even aboard a cruise ship.
Ginny was a willing partner to her husband Bill. Together they enjoyed sailing their family sailboat. When flying the flying club airplane, she served as navigator always wanting to know where we were.
On the Veeder Ranch she drove the feed pickup as they fed the cows. She learned to drive a stick shift. Rather than drive the older car, she preferred the family’s Mazda RX7 sports car.
Grace Lake and Lake Melissa were two of Ginny’s favorite places to be. She warmly welcomed and entertained family members and others to enjoy the Minnesota lake experience.
Friends were an important part of Ginny’s life. She had a way of making people feel at ease with her smile and engaging laugh.
Ginny was a happy person. Her friends and family will miss her.
Her mother, father, and sister, Linda Lingvay, proceeded Ginny in death. Services were held on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Detroit Lakes.
