Tim Spitzack
Editor
When Virginia Milbert was born on June 26, 1917, in Maple Plain, Minn, (nee Virginia June Beer) the United States was embroiled in World War I, the Model T was the hottest automobile on the road and electricity was just then slowly making its way into homes across the country. She came of age during the Great Depression, got married and had her first child during World War II, and moved to South St. Paul with her family just after the war. In the decades that followed she witnessed events her parents never dreamed of – men walking on the moon, civil rights advancements, computers and the internet – and carved out her place in the city she would call home for the rest of her days. Milbert passed away on March 11 at age 106. She is remembered for her dedication to her family, church and Neighbors Inc., an organization she helped create more than 50 years ago.
As a youth, Milbert enjoyed exploring her creative side. In high school, she participated in choir, drama club, worked on the school newspaper, served on the student council and was a member of the National Honor Society. After graduating from Wayzata High School in 1935 she enrolled in the Minnesota School of Business. Following graduation, she joined the Minnetonka Herald in Wayzata as a typist and proofreader.
In 1940, Virginia married Howard Milbert, and the couple had their first daughter, Terry Ann, in 1941. Like many young families in those days, World War II forced them apart. Howard enlisted in the Navy in 1943, and while he was away Virginia supported the war effort by working at a plant that soldered airplane parts. She and Terry lived with Howard’s parents at the time. After the war, Virginia and Howard settled in South St. Paul and soon after had two more daughters. Marcia was born in 1946, and Melane in 1949. Howard, who passed away in 2003, owned a Culligan Water dealership.
Virginia was a devoted mother and wife. She was a Girl Scout troop leader, sewed dresses and dance costumes for her daughters, and tiny dresses for their dolls. In her later years, she made beautiful quilts for her children and baby quilts for her grandchildren.
She was also committed to helping others. She did this through serving at bake sales, festivals and funeral luncheons at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, where she was a member for 77 years, and through Neighbors, Inc. Virginia was one of six people of the South St. Paul faith community who helped form the nonprofit. They gathered in 1971 to discuss ways to help the growing number of people who were unemployed due to the closure of the Swift & Company packing plant in 1969, and in January 1972 officially founded the organization. She was 54 at the time and her children were out of the home so she and Howard had some extra time on their hands. According to her obituary, it was Howard who convinced her to volunteer for one year with that fledgling organization. He was involved as well and served on its board and as treasurer for several years during the organization’s first 20 years.
“For me, volunteering at Neighbors has kept me young, has kept me in the flow of life, and has shown me I am never too old to learn new things,” she said in a June 2021 interview with the South St. Paul Voice. At that time, she still worked two 4-hour shifts in the Clothes Closet Thrift Store each week and was noted for always greeting customers with a kind word, a funny joke, a silly song or words of wisdom.
Virginia received numerous awards and recognition for her community service including a Legacy Volunteer and Longest Serving Volunteer award from Neighbors, Inc., and the Service to Others Humanitarian Recognition award from the Rotary Club of South St. Paul and Inver Grove Heights, an award that honors people who have a long history of serving others. She was also a Super Senior for the Kaposia Days celebration parade.
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