He was born on July 19, 1925 on a farm near Gridley, Illinois to Arthur and Erma (Yordy) Guth. He graduated from Flanagan High School and a year later left the farm to be inducted into the United States Army during World War II. He completed basic training and training as a surgical technician in the U.S., and spent the balance of his duty in the Medical Corps in Eritrea, Africa. He continued his medical training at the Alexian Brothers School of Nursing in Chicago, Illinois, graduating in 1952, and earning the Bachelor of Science in Nursing from DePaul University in Chicago in 1957. He was employed at Hines VA Hospital in Maywood, Illinois as a spinal cord injury nurse & administrator for thirty-two years.
On June 5, 1954, he married the former Florence E. Sjoblom, also a nurse with whom he raised three children in LaGrange Park, Illinois. They celebrated their forty-seventh anniversary prior to her death on May 19, 2002.
Virgil was a long-time member of the Westchester (Ilinois) Bible Church before moving to South Bend in 2002 and joining the Community Evangelical Free Church in Niles, Michigan. He was also a member of The Gideons International for over forty years. He completed the six year weekly study of Bible Study International Fellowship. He enjoyed traveling, gardening, painting, creating balloon animals, and woodworking. He loved his family, and was always ready to share Jesus Christ with anyone who was interested.
Virgil will be greatly missed by his family and friends, but we know with assurance and peace that he is in his heavenly home with his blessed Savior, Jesus Christ.
Virgil was preceded in death by his parents and by brothers Ronald and Robert Guth of Flanagan, Illinois and his wife, Florence. Surviving family includes: a daughter, Gloria (& Collin) Seitz of Plymouth, Indiana and two sons - James Guth of Rolling Meadows, Illinois and David (& Jill) Guth of Cincinnati, Ohio; 11 grandchildren - Jennifer (& Andrew) Gregar, Charissa (& Ryan) Stegink, Daniel (& Natalie) Seitz, Stephanie Seitz; Makenzie, Austin, and Cami Guth; Peter, Sarah, Hannah and Timothy Guth; and 5 great-grandchildren - Julia and Ethan Gregar, and Theo, Elliot, and Milo Seitz and two sisters-in-law - Ruby Sasek of St. Louis, Missouri and Lucy Sjoblom of Jefferson City, Missouri.
The visitation for Virgil Guth will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at the Community Evangelical Free Church in Niles with a sharing of memories at 7:00 p.m. The Committal Service will be at 9:30 a.m. (Central Time) on Saturday morning, January 2, 2016 at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Joliet, Illinois, and will conclude with the Veteran's Flag Presentation and "Taps" by the United States Army Honor Guard. The Memorial Service will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 2, 2016 at the Crossroads Evangelical Free Church in Plymouth, Indiana with Virgil’s son-in-law the Rev. Collin Seitz of Crossroads Church officiating.
Contributions in memory of Virgil may be made to The Gideons International, Post Office Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800. Arrangements were made at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles.
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