Virginia L. "Jenny" Croke Obituary (1938 - 2013)

Virginia L. "Jenny" Croke, 74, of Bloomington, died at 10:30 am, Sunday, July 14, 2013 at her home. Her funeral will be at 10:30 am, Friday (7-19-13) at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home and 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Church with Rev. Jeff Windy officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 pm, Thursday (7-18-13) at the funeral home. A private family burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Normal at a later date.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to CISAR, (Central Illinois Small Animal Rescue no kill shelter).Virginia was born on November 15, 1938 in Bloomington, the daughter of William Llewelyn and Clella "Kay" Beard Morgan. She married Harlan E. Croke on February 1, 1958 in Bloomington. He preceded her in death on November 3, 1985.She is survived by four daughters, Tammy (Bob) Gipson, Jr, Normal, Rae Anne Campbell, Normal, Cindy (Harry) Woods, Metamora and Joni (Tracy) Campbell, Downs; three sons, Bill (Kellee) Croke, Towanda, Jim Croke, Peoria and Tony (Kim) Croke, Bloomington; thirteen grandchildren, Ashley (Ian) Hendriks and Sterling Gipson, Danielle and Brett Campbell, Joshua and Westin Joos, Nick, Morgan and Zack Campbell, Evan Croke, Shayne Croke, and Jacob and Jaden Croke; two great grandchildren, Brandon Hendriks and Lillian Givens. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, too many dear friends to list and her beloved cat, Niblets.She was preceded in death by a brother, Tom Morgan, an infant sister, Carolyn and most recently, her longtime friend, Beryl Beiber.Jenny graduated from Bloomington High School in 1956. She retired from GTE, where she worked as an operator and dispatcher for over 40 years. She volunteered with District 87 as a bus monitor for special needs children. Jenny also enjoyed spending time dining with friends at local restaurants. Her favorites were Times Past, Garden of Paradise, Shannons, CJs and Grand Cafe. She was known for her passion for the Cubs and her "world famous" Texas cake. Jenny was a giving and compassionate person and was a "mother" to many outside her family and will be dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her.The family would like to thank Dr. Migas, the nurses and staff at the Community Cancer Center for their outstanding care. They would also like to thank the nurses and staff at Compassus Hospice, including Jacqui Martin.