Virginia May Lorz passed away May 29, 2020 at her home in Tonasket, Washington. Virginia (mom) was born in Omak, Washington on June 12, 1931 to Albert and Rose Semprimoznik.

Mother grew up in Aeneas Valley on the ranch that her parents homesteaded. She attended the Aeneas Valley Elementary school until the eighth grade; she rode either Nellie, Jack or Frosty six miles to school with her siblings. As a teenager, mom was moved to Tonasket to attend high school. She lived with Jerry and Dorothy Funk and did household chores and helped care for their daughter in exchange for room and board. After high school she attended Kinman Business School.

In 1950, she married Norbert Lorz. They lived in Spokane the first three years of their marriage while dad worked as a plumber. During that time, they had two sons, Steven and Joseph. They moved back to Tonasket and bought three acres with a small home on it and had two more children, Richard and Debra.

They worked hard together planting an orchard, expanding the home, and raising their family. Dad continued plumbing and mom worked at Chief Tonasket Growers, the liquor store, and later, becoming a secretary at Tonasket High School. This chapter in mom’s life was characterized by hard work and shaped so much of who she was. She and dad enjoyed hosting and attending many dinners and social activities. After dad’s stroke, mom faithfully cared for him until his passing in 1992 after 42 years of marriage.

Sometime after dad’s passing, mom connected with a former classmate, Robert Henneman, who would become and prove to be a wonderful companion for the remainder of her life. Mom traveled with Bob to hunting dog field trials in numerous states and Canada; she loved riding horses in the Canadian prairies with him. While on these trips she met many new friends and kept in touch with them by phone calls and cards over the years. Mom and Bob traveled often and had several great adventures together.

Dinners with friends or family were always special events for mother. Sending cards and making phone calls were a hobby that kept mom involved in what was happening in the lives of her family and friends. Mother touched many lives with her phone calls, cards and dinner invitations to those who may not have had a place to go on holidays or other occasions. Paraphrasing what one grandchild wrote: “for someone who enjoyed bringing people together and staying connected with those she knew and loved, it is particularly difficult to be suppressed by a virus that separates people during the time of Grandma’s passing.”

Mother enjoyed gardening and tending flowers. Up until a year or so ago she still changed the water in the pear orchard in the morning and evenings. Probably her most difficult task was being a mother to four children each born a year apart.

Virginia is survived by her loving companion, Robert Henneman; her four children, Steve (Linda), Joe (Cherry), Richard, and Deb all of Tonasket; sister, Emily of Omak; brother, Al Joe (Gayle) of Davenport; six grandkids, Kim (Jim) of San Antonio, Texas, Ken (Jennifer) of Post Falls, Idaho, Lance (Jennifer) of Spokane, Washington, JoAnn (Glenn) of Twisp, Washington, Reed of Tonasket and Stephanie (Daniel) of Brewster, Washington; 11 great grandkids, three great-great grandkids and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Norbert; her parents, Albert and Rose (Grillo) Semprimoznik; her sister, Marie (Ray) Brown of Spokane and her sister, DeeLoris (Gordon) Sylvester of Oroville.

A memorial service is planned for Virginia on Friday, June 12, 2020 at 11 a.m. at the Tonasket Cemetery which would have been her 89th birthday.