Virginia Denham

Virginia passed away peacefully on August 31, 2018 in Albany, Oregon only three days after celebrating her 93rd birthday with family and friends. She was born August 28, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois to Samuel and Dorenda (Maltby) Penfield. She grew up in Glencoe, IL and graduated high school from North Shore Country Day School in 1943. As a girl and young woman, she loved horseback riding and was an accomplished rider. At a time when girls rarely studied science, she attended Bryn Mawr College and Northwestern University and graduated with a major in chemistry and a minor in geology. She had a long career as a chemist with Kraft Foods in the Chicago area. While working at Kraft Foods, she met Phillip Denham, and they were married in1957. Together they traveled the world and throughout the U.S. They particularly enjoyed traveling around the western U.S., where they camped, hiked and collected rocks. After they retired from Kraft in 1988, they moved to Oregon and purchased a house and acreage on the outskirts of Philomath. There, they enjoyed watching the wildlife that wandered through their property. After her husband, Phillip, passed away in 2003, Virginia continued living in her Philomath house. Virginia was an avid reader and enjoyed listening to music. Hardly a day passed that UPS didn’t deliver a book or DVD. After a fall in August 2017, she moved to Quail Run Assisted Living in Albany. Virginia was also preceded in death by her parents and her sister Dorenda (Penfield) Millikin. She is survived by nieces: Dr. Anne Millikin, Santa Fe, NM and Dorenda (Rendy) Freedman, Santa Barbara, CA and by nephew, David Millikin, Sydney, Australia. She is also survived by her step-children: Dawn (Denham) Roussel-Dupre, Cocoa Beach, FL; Lorraine Denham, Chicago, IL; Aileen Denham-Vargo, Oak Creek, WI; Connie Denham, Chicago, IL; Richard Denham, Kingwood, TX; and Michele Denham. Donations in her memory may be made to the National Parks Foundation at www.nationalparks.org. In accordance with Virginia’s wishes, no funeral service will be held. The family wishes to extend its thanks to the staff of Quail Run Assisted Living for their loving care of Virginia. Also, they wish to thank Virginia’s special friends, Patricia Vera and Lisa Marie Mixon and their families.

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Virginia Denham

August 28, 1925 - August 31, 2018