The following obituaries appeared in the December 24, 2024 edition of the Star Valley Independent.
For more area obituaries, please visit Schwab Mortuary.
For more resources including headstones, please visit the Star Valley Historical Society.
Virginia Randall
Heaven got a “heavy-hitter” back when Virginia Louise Collard Randall graduated from the physical and passed through the veil when her soul left her flesh at 12:00 noon Saturday December 14, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona! She was 82 years old. Virginia had a comfortable passing in her own home with her family by her side. The last month of her life, she was under the care of Stillwater Hospice, and her loving family, at home.
Virginia was raised in Idaho Falls with her sisters Marcia and Teri, and her brother Curt. As the eldest child of a busy licensed architect and a college English professor, Virginia was an avid reader as a child. Her love for reading and quest for knowledge carried on throughout her life, and she loved studying & learning and gaining education & wisdom. Her admiration for exquisite Barbie doll dresses led to an extensive collection of Barbie dolls, which she enjoyed sharing with her children and grandchildren over the years.
In June of 1959, Virginia married Clair C. Randall. They made their home in Idaho Falls, and had four children: Kristin, Kelli, Jason and James. After getting all four kids off to school in their early years, VA went to work at night on the switchboard at Tel-Answer answering service in Idaho Falls. With her personal drive and studious nature, it didn’t take long to work her way up to Manager, and eventually becoming a managing partner, or owner. In 1979, the family moved to Boise so Virginia could take over management of all Tel-Answer locations. While managing the answering service, VA joined both Zonta Women’s International and the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce (Gold Coaters), and served as President of both organizations. In 1979, Virginia was awarded as a Business Woman of the Year award from the Idaho Falls Chamber. She also served as President of T.A.S.M.S. (Telephone Answering Services of the Mountain States) in 1980. In 1981, Clair, VA, and the boys moved to Granbury, Texas and then on to Ft. Collins & Boulder, Colorado while working as a Consultant for TeleScan selling and setting up new answering service bureaus and remodeling existing bureaus while Clair was busy working in the nuclear power generating industry.
After all those adventures of raising the kids, Clair and Virginia moved back to Idaho Falls, where VA began to pursue her formal education and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from BYU-Idaho and then Master’s Degree in Systems Administration from Idaho State University. Although she finished her dissertation, VA did not obtain her Doctorate Degree. After obtaining her degrees, she worked for various contractors at Idaho National Lab, including the Department of Energy. After leaving the site after CC’s passing in 2000, she worked as an Instructor for ESI International, teaching Project Management nationwide. Her biggest client at ESI was Sprint in Schaumburg, Illinois. She loved teaching so much that she overcame the (new) fear of flying that we ALL had just days after September 11th and was on one of the first flights to land at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. after 9/11, in order to resume her teaching assignments.
Some years later, VA met Doug Jenkins of Thayne, Wyoming. They were married in Las Vegas and lived between Doug’s home in Thayne and Virginia’s home in Sun City West. They served a full-time mission together for the Church Education System in the Georgia Macon Mission in Douglas, Georgia. They were later divorced.
Virginia loved her children and grandchildren. She took the time and made the effort to have a special relationship with each and every one of them. She will be greatly missed. She was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and enjoyed her many callings during her lifetime. Her last calling she could fulfill was as Chorister in the now Stetson Valley Ward in Phoenix. From her days in Primary, to serving her Mission with pride, she was always happy when she could help others in her ward. Later in life, as her mobility decreased, faithful members of her ward would bring sacrament to her at home, and a lifelong friendship was forged by those whom she met in this way. The Family would like to thank the Leigh and Rebecca Toole family and the entire Stetson Valley Ward in Phoenix for their faithful service and endless love and support for all those many years.
Virginia wouldn’t want to disrupt everyone’s Christmas celebrations to travel slick roads and congested airports and stand in the snow and cold for a funeral so there will be no public services at this time. Burial will take place in Fielding Memorial Park in Idaho Falls with a private family service on December 28th. A Celebration of Life is planned for August 14, 2025 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Keep an eye on social media of family members for additional information.
Virginia was preceded in death by her husband Clair, Parents Harold E. and Gertrude Collard, and her sister Marcia. She is survived by her 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and 9 great grandchildren, with the tenth on its way!
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a student program or education scholarship program to support students.
