Virginia Mae Ruth Kalcevic

Virginia Mae Ruth Kalcevic passed away on July 1, 2020, in Brighton, Colorado, just two months shy of her 95th birthday.  She was born in Longmont, Colorado, on September 5, 1925, to the late Herbert and Ruth Nelson.  She was the fourth of six children.  She loved to recount the happy memories and mischief she and Rubyann, Maxine, Beverley, Pat, and brother Don got into.  She graduated from Fort Lupton High School and maintained lifelong friendships with many of her classmates. 

Virginia married Beverly “Bud” Zaiss in 1945, and had two children, Ron and Sharee before divorcing.

Virginia married John Kalcevic in 1969.  She was close with John’s sons, Johnny and Jim and their families, and thought of the Kalcevic family as her own.  Virginia was married to John for over 31 years until his death in 2001.

Above all else, Virginia loved her family.  Virginia had very close relationships with Ron and his wife Bev, and Sharee and her husband Larry.  They spoke almost every day and saw each other weekly.  She also remained very close with her siblings and talked to Beverly and Pat almost every day too. 

However, her most cherished role was as grandma to Brian, Estee, and Alison.  She was the grandma that very few are lucky enough to have.  She never missed an opportunity to make each grandchild feel special.  Whether it was having them spend the night, making their favorite cookies with them, having Easter egg hunts throughout the year, letting them slide across the basement floor in bunny feet, or treating them to new clothes at the beginning of each school year and for the holidays.  She never missed a recital, graduation, or other special occasion.  She was especially excited to celebrate the engagements and marriages of all three grandkids, and welcomed Tate, Amy, and Ed as new grandchildren. 

If anything could compare to the love for her grandchildren, it may have been her love for her great-grandchildren.  Virginia was thrilled to be the great-grandmother to Rylie, Wade, Kaitlyn, Emily, and Avery.  She never hesitated to pull out pictures and brag about how beautiful or handsome each was and to share stories about their current escapades.

Virginia was an excellent cook and baker.  Whether it was carrot, lemon or cherry chocolate cake, a plate of Christmas cookies, peanut butter fudge, a tender brisket or a perfect roast, she made delicious food.  She loved taking turns with her siblings hosting monthly get-togethers to celebrate all the family birthdays for that month.  She enjoyed entertaining.  She set a beautiful table and shared her goodies and hosting talents at Christmas teas for many years.  She and John also held New Year’s Eve parties filled with good food and polka music.

Virginia always found the perfect card for any occasion.  She had beautiful handwriting that made even everyday notes special.  She loved giving her nieces and nephews and their families special treats for Valentine’s Day to Christmas and all the holidays in between.

Virginia loved to go shopping.  She was very stylish and always had perfect hair and nails.  Over the years, she no doubt walked hundreds of miles in stores and malls with Sharee, Estee and Alison.  She also loved the color brown.  It is fitting that such a warm, comforting color would be her favorite.

Virginia is survived by sisters Beverley Rudy and Patricia Terry, both of Fort Lupton, her son Ronald (Bev) Zaiss of Brighton, daughter Sharee (Larry) Strasheim of Denver, grandson Brian (Amy) Zaiss of Brighton, granddaughter Estee (Tate) Sanchez of Keenesburg, granddaughter Alison (Ed) Sawallesh of Brighton, and great-grandchildren Rylie and Wade Zaiss, Kaitlyn Sanchez, and Emily and Avery Sawallesh.  Her siblings Rubyann Bell, Maxine Brenning and Donald Nelson preceded her in death.

A private service will be held on July 9, 2020, at the Brighton United Methodist Church, followed by private interment at Mountain View Cemetery in Longmont, Colorado.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Virginia’s name to the Brighton United Methodist church or charity of your choice.

Due to the Covid-19 social distancing requirements, the family has asked that you celebrate the life of Virginia by joining them for the service via live streaming of the service starting at 10:55 a.m. on July 9th, on this website.  At the request of the family, the live streaming of the service will not be available

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