Virginia Foo's Obituary
Virginia Foo passed away on January 14, 2017 at Summit Medical Center in Oakland, after a brief respiratory illness, Virginia was born in Anhui, China on June 20,1928. She was the youngest child of a successful merchant and his wife and although her childhood was enjoyed in peace and prosperity, she would recall her early adolescence as a time of fear and uncertainty, as young students like herself were uprooted and forced into hiding, during the turbulent period of the Sino-Japanese war. There would be other hardships for her, with the death of her mother and then her father before Virginia reached the age of 15. Always an avid student who excelled at her studies, Virginia seized a scholarship offer to attend college in the United States. When she arrived in the U.S. in 1948, she was already fluent in English, and had even developed an appreciation for Shakespeare. Virginia graduated from Mary Manse College, a small Catholic women’s college in Toledo, Ohio and went on to earn a Master’s degree in social work at St. Louis University. Like other Chinese students studying abroad, Virginia’s life would be profoundly altered by the Communist revolution in 1949. Suddenly, with all ties to her family severed and no prospect of returning to China, Virginia had no choice but to create a new life for herself in America. She met her husband, William, in Chicago, where both had just started their careers. They married and raised two daughters, Sasha and Barbara. As a marriage and family therapist, Virginia worked at Family Services of Evanston, where she provided counseling to couples, parents and teens. Although she had a long and rewarding career, her primary focus was always her family. Virginia was the indefatigable planner, throwing herself into managing every family outing and family vacation. She was the chief navigator on these long excursions, well before the advent of GPS. Virginia was always curious, an ardent learner, with a broad assortment of interests, including a lifelong appreciation for literature. She read novels, plays, philosophy and books on health and wellness. She took classes in subjects as diverse as Spanish, Tai Chi, belly dancing, square dancing and acupressure. As her husband neared retirement, Virginia decided to take a serious interest in Wall Street investment and became a self-taught expert on equities and the stock market. In 1998, Virginia and Bill moved to the San Francisco Bay area, closer to their daughter, Barbara. Living in Albany, the Foos became regular participants in the activities at various senior centers in Berkeley, North Berkeley and Albany. Virginia was the president of the Chinese club at one senior center and for several years, she enjoyed her role as emcee for the center’s annual Chinese New Year’s celebration. In their love of nature and the outdoors, Virginia and Bill also spent many days walking along the Berkeley marina. After the death of her husband in 2011, Virginia moved to a retirement community in El Cerrito, and in 2013, she became a resident of Piedmont Gardens, a senior community in Oakland. After learning of Virginia’s death, a friend of hers in the community told her daughters, “Your mother was a brainy gal.” She was that and so much more; feisty, fierce, and uncompromisingly herself.
Virginia is survived by her two daughters and a granddaughter. A celebration of her life will be held at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, California on June 24 at 11:00 am.
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