Virginia Mary (Fonte) McGrail

Virginia Mary (Fonte) McGrail History

Virginia Mary Fonte was born on October 1, 1933 in Wray, Colorado.  She was the fifth child of five children in her family, Bob, Betty, Elva (passed at 7-months), and George.  Her Father was Ethan Joseph Fonte, and her Mother was Mary Kontny Fonte (Married October 25, 1914, Tecumseh, Nebraska). 

The family lived on, and worked a farm about 8-miles outside of the town of Wray, Colorado.  Virginia was born in the town of Wray, and the childbirth was assisted by a midwife.  There was not enough money for a hospital at the time. 

Virginia grew up on the farm, and because of the significant age gap with her oldest siblings, she spent most of her time alone, playing and dreaming of her future goals.  From a young age, Virginia wanted to be a nurse, and take care of people.  A dream she would fulfill in her early adulthood.  She had many dolls, with scars (stitches sown up by her Mother Mary) after imaginary appendectomies’, and other various lifesaving surgeries.  All of Virginia’s patients, at that age, and in adulthood were cared for with tremendous love.

Virginia attended a one room country school for grades 1 through 6.  She would walk through the pasture near her house, on the quarter mile trek to the country school house.  She loved school from the beginning, and especially loved to read.  As she told me, she was curious and interested in many things, and wanted to learn about them.  Reading was a vicarious escape to another imaginary place and time. 

She told me that living on a farm was a challenging life for everyone involved.  There was no indoor bathroom, but rather a good old-fashioned outhouse.  Paying the bills was dependent on the weather, and if the crops would survive to harvest.  Mom said there were some very scary storms and unpredictable weather patterns, especially in the summer.  Like all kids who grow up on a farm, there were always plenty of chores to do. 

She recalled that her father was a hard-working, tough love kind of guy.  Her mother was very loving, and Mom said her mother was an excellent cook, preparing almost everything from scratch, starting with wringing the chicken’s neck.  No Door Dash on the farm.  Her Mom made her clothes as well.

As a young child growing up, she remembered going in to town, especially on Sundays for church (Catholic Mass).  She enjoyed socializing, and meeting other kids.  Mom was very excited and happy when she started going to school in town.  The bus would pick her up, and she would travel the 8-miles into town to attend 7^th and 8^th grades, and then on to Wray High school, 9^th through 12^th grades. She was always a very good student and achieved high grades.  I think this was based primarily on her love of reading.  

Although she didn’t consider herself a strong or gifted athlete, she did enjoy watching sports, especially baseball.  Her older brothers played baseball, and she would attend their games.  One of her fondest memories was listening to baseball at home on the radio (no TV or internet then), especially the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Her favorite ball player was the late, great Jackie Robinson.  She admired him very much, especially his ability to turn the other cheek and ignore the bigotry and negative treatment.  And she admired his ability to play the game so well.

Mom always wanted to attend college and get a college education.  As a young lady in high school, she learned of Loretto Heights College in Denver, run by the Sisters of Loretto.  Although she had only been to Denver once before at about age 10, she was very excited (curious / interested as she would say) to leave the farm, leave the small town, and head to the city to start her adult life. 

Her Dad Ethan took her up to Denver, dropped her off, and without any fear she moved forward and never looked back.  It wasn’t that she didn’t love her family or her life back home, she was just plain and simply curious and interested in seeing what was out there in the world. 

She lived in the St. Anthony Hospital Nurses Home over in north Denver off of west 17^th Avenue, in the Sloan’s Lake area.  She would travel by the school bus (she said it was an old, rickety bus, with an old rickety school bus driver) to the Loretto Heights Campus over in southwest Denver (south Federal Boulevard corridor).

Her first job, to make some spending money, was at the Library at the Nurse’s Home.  Did I mention that she loved to read?

Virginia’s parents, Ethan and Mary followed her to the city after retiring from the farm life.  They lived in a small house on north Ivy Street in the south Park Hill neighborhood of east Denver.  This would be the first time in her Mother Mary’s life that she would have indoor plumbing.  Virginia lived with her parents on Ivy Street during her senior year in college and until she got married. 

After four years of hard work and many late nights studying, she graduated from Loretto Heights College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.  She was a full fledged Registered Nurse (RN).  She really wanted the four-year degree and to be an RN.  She started her nursing career at St. Anthony’s Hospital in north Denver working first as a Nurses Aid. 

Virginia first met her future husband, Patrick McGrail at a Cathedral High School Pep Rally Bon Fire in downtown Denver in 1950.  She would date Patrick for the next several years until they married on October 26^th, 1955.  They married at Blessed Sacrament Church on east Montview Boulevard near the Ivy Street home.  They had a simple breakfast reception at the DX Club over in north Denver at west 46^th Avenue and north Pecos Street. 

Their first home together was the upstairs apartment in an old Denver Square at 3421 North Zuni Street over in north Denver.  Their first house was at 3120 West 27^th Avenue over in north Denver.  It was while living here that their first son, Stephen Patrick was born in 1956, the first of three boys in their family.  Terrence Joseph was born in 1959. 

Like most young married couples starting a family, their lives were not without many challenges.  Stephen had an issue with his feet, as they were turned inward.  He would have to wear casts to correct the problem.  Terrence had a much more serious medical problem called Pyloric Stenosis.  It was very scary for Virginia and Patrick, as it was uncertain whether Terry would survive.  Fortunately, he did.  Further, Virginia had a bout with a serious case of pneumonia when she was 35-years old.  She had to be hospitalized, but was always very tough. She won that fight, and many others throughout her life.      

Virginia would eventually start working at Swedish Hospital in the City of Englewood (near south Denver).  She worked on various floors filling in until she eventually landed a permanent assignment in the recovery room.  She would work at Swedish for 25-years.  

Virginia and Patrick’s second home was at 1300 south Ogden Street in the west Washington Park neighborhood of south Denver.  This house was much closer to Swedish Hospital than the north Denver home for Virginia’s commute to work.  Their youngest son David Michael was born in 1963 while living on south Ogden Street.  They would live here until 1973.

In 1973 the neighborhood was changing (not in a good way) and Virginia and Patrick were searching for a nicer, cleaner, and safer neighborhood.  Virginia and eldest son Stephen searched for and found a beautiful house in a quiet, clean, and safe neighborhood about 3-miles southeast in the Southern Hills neighborhood of south Denver.  The family moved there in 1973, and Virginia and Patrick made this their longtime home for the last 50-years, and they still live there today.  

Virginia retired form nursing after 25-years, but was not yet finished.  She desired to get her Master’s Degree and start her second career.  She was attended the University of Denver (DU) and worked hard for two years to complete her Master’s Degree in Counseling and Human Development.  She wanted to keep helping people, this time with their mental health.  She counseled and helped many people through various problems, at one point specializing in assisting young Mom’s after the loss of a child.  She put her heart and soul into this and impacted countless lives. 

After her counseling career, she would once again serve others as a Grandmother.  Her son Terry and daughter-in-law Pam would have three sons, Tony, Mike, and Nick.  Her son David and wife Gina would have two children, daughter Caroline who Virginia literally helped raise during the early years, and son Joseph. 

Virginia was a very loving mother, grandmother, and wife.  She will be forever, and fondly remembered by her family and friends as a hard worker, and always loyal to her love ones.  She is survived by Patrick, her husband of 68-years, her three sons, Stephen, Terrence, and David, her daughters in law, Pamela, and Gina, along with her grandchildren, Tony, Mike, Nick, Caroline, and Joseph.  May she rest in peace, and with her soul in heaven, watch over, guide, and protect us as our guardian angel.