Virginia McCluskey

Virginia Anne "Ginny" McCluskey, 77, passed away May 7, 2005, at Colonial Manor in Whitefish after a long battle with Alzheimer's. She was born Jan. 13, 1928, in Los Angeles to George and Clara (Evert) Schultz. Her early years were spent in California. She attended college at Pepperdine University, where she met Bobbie Lee McCluskey. They married and produced seven children, Lindy, Mike, Steve, Chris, Carrie, Kevin and Marty.

It was a life of music and fun. Bobbie had played drums for Bob Crosby's (Bing's brother) Bobcats orchestra at one time. He taught Mike how to play. They formed a rock and roll band and traveled all over Southern California, playing in little clubs here and there. There was never a time when music wasn't playing in the house, and Ginny even tried her hand at managing a few bands for awhile. After a long marriage, Bobby and Virginia were divorced and went their separate ways.

Virginia always had a bit of wanderlust in her heart, and she spent a lot of time traveling all over California looking for a new place to settle with her kids. Whitefish turned out to be just what she was looking for. It was a cute little town, and the family took to it right away. The kids thrived in school and skied Big Mountain every weekend.

During this time, she had read about Belize, thought it sounded interesting, so she took the youngest, Marty, out of school and off they went, driving all the way by themselves on a four-month trip that she so enjoyed. She never lost that wanderlust and often packed the car and took off to who knows where.

She worked many years at Haines Drug Store and had many lifelong friends in town and around the west.

Virginia is survived by her seven children and their families, Richard and Lindy Marriott, of Whitefish, Mike, Sandy and Megan McCluskey, of Apple Valley, Calif., Steve McCluskey, of Kalispell, Chris and Ray Chiang, of Whitefish, Carrie McCluskey, Josh and Ginny Provo, Kevin and Laura and Kelsey McCluskey, all of Whitefish, and Marty McCluskey, of Captiva, Fla.; her ex-husband, Bobbie McCluskey and wife, Dinah, of Nipomo, Calif.

No services for Virginia Anne McCluskey will be held at this time, but the family will celebrate her life at a future date.