Virginia L. McCrea, 96, passed away peacefully while being comforted by her family on Thursday, February 25, 2016, at the Faith Home in Wolf Point, where she had resided for the last four years. Virginia was born to Raymond and Florence Wilson on August 16, 1919, at her Grandma Steele’s home in the Nickwall Community of McCone County. She was the second of three girls who were raised on the family farm on Sheep Creek. In the 1930’s, the family moved to McCone City, MT for employment on the Fort Peck Dam Project. There Virginia met and fell in love with Lee McCrea and they were married on October 13, 1938. After leaving Fort Peck, the couple purchased farmland that bordered the Wilson Farm. Their son, Gary, was born in 1940 and daughter, Peny, in 1944. In 1945, they moved to the Charlie Smith Ranch near the mouth of Redwater in McCone County, which Lee managed for eight years before purchasing. There they enjoyed the farm life, raising alfalfa and cattle, until retiring in 1983 and moving to Wolf Point. Virginia was a great cook and always prepared extra for any neighbor, friend, or stranger who might drop by. When CB radios first came out, her son-in-law, Darrell Delger, gave her the handle “The Country Kitchen.” Virginia always had a smile on her face and a kind word for everyone, always putting the needs of others before her own. Family and friends were very important to Virginia. She enjoyed many family get-togethers, camping, fishing, celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, golfing with friends and playing bridge.
Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Edith Wilson Dundas and Thelma Wilson Miller, and husband Lee McCrea of 76 years.
She is survived by her son Gary (Shirley) McCrea; daughter Peny (Darrell) Delger; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.