Virginia Sunderman

Virginia Sunderman, 95, of Lake Katrine, died Wednesday, August 21, 2019, at her home. A native of Huntington, Indiana, she was a daughter of the late Forrest & Effie Couch Lamb.

Through the years, Virginia was most often seen with a pair of knitting needles during her leisure hours – at doctors’ visits, family gatherings or anytime she had a spare moment. Her maternal grandmother taught her knitting at age 11, and it became her form of meditation.

Nevertheless, she had few idle moments. She was employed at Indiana Bell Telephone Company, Huntington, Indiana, for 25 years, retiring in 1976 as service representative. After retirement, she and her late husband, Glenn, spent winters in Texas where she was editor and feature writer for the Winter Texan Times, Mission, Texas, for 13 seasons. She also tutored at Mission Junior High School.

Virginia was president of Oleander Acres Club in Oleander Acres Park during the couple’s stay in Texas, and she served as emcee for many jam sessions in the Mission area.

During her more than 20 years in Lake Katrine, she was a member of the Hat Band, which entertained at various nursing homes and senior groups in and around Kingston. Among them was Ten Broeck Commons, in Lake Katrine, where she was named “volunteer of the month” in 2006. In addition to emcee and vocalist for the Hat Band, she served many years as editor of the Ten Broeck Commons News newsletter.

As a knitter, for many years she made dozens of articles for the “Mitten Tree” at Ulster County Social Services. She honed her skills as a member of the former "Friendly Flying Fingers," a charity knitting and crocheting group in Kingston.

Virginia’s other hobbies included jigsaw puzzles -- a longtime morning ritual on her computer -- and crossword puzzles. Most recently, she aced the entire “crossword” category on her favorite television program “Jeopardy.”

In Indiana, she was emcee for the Local Yokels music group, which performed in many nursing homes in Northern Indiana.

Virginia was a charter member and held many offices in the LaFontaine Toastmistress Club and the American Business Women’s Club, both in Huntington, Indiana. In addition, she was a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America.

She is a former member of Congregational Christian Church, Huntington, Indiana; St. Peter Lutheran Church, also Huntington, Indiana, and Zion Lutheran Church, Columbia City, Indiana, as well as a Winter Texan member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Mission, Texas.

Virginia is survived by her daughter, Bonnie Langston and her husband Sid Leavitt of Lake Katrine; two grandchildren, Brett Langston and partner Janani Ramprasad of Ravena and Todd Langston and partner Donna Brunig of Clifton Park; two sisters, Patricia Maddox of Wilmore, Kentucky, and Dorothea Lineback of Cypress, California.

Virginia is also survived by a former foreign exchange student who came to live for a year with her and Glenn 50 years ago, Hans Werner Jany, a native of Germany.

In addition to her parents, Virginia was predeceased by her son, Roger Lee Sunderman who died in 1970, as well as brothers-in-law Ed Lineback and Dr. Paul Maddox.

Virginia will be reposing at the Simpson-Gaus Funeral Home, 411 Albany Ave., on Sunday, August 25, 2019, from 2-5 p.m.

Funeral service and interment will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Hudson Valley Hospice or Ten Broeck Commons activity department.