Virginia Haux died peacefully on January 10, 2026 at herLongmont, CO, home surrounded by her extended family and loving friends. Virginia lived a long, adventurous life. The time of her passing was a mere 3 weeks short of celebrating her 102nd birthday—an exceptionally rare milestone! 

Virginia was born in Wichita, KS, on January 29, 1924 to Arthur and Harriet Priebe and was the younger of two girls. She is survived by her two sons Thomas Haux and Jon Haux (Myer Haux), and two granddaughters Jeslyn and Mya Haux, all of Longmont, CO. She was preceded in death by her sister Ruth Maher of Fremont, CA, and her husband of 61 years, Ray Haux. 

Shortly after Virginia was born, the Priebe family relocated to St. Louis, MO, where she and her sister completed their educations. Following in her father’s footsteps, in 1945 Virginia received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Washington University in St. Louis. She soon began working at various jobs in her chosen field.

Virginia married Ray in 1959 and they moved to Columbia, MO, where her sons were born in 1960 and 1963. In 1966 she and her family relocated to Oshkosh, WI, where her husband had been hired as Professor of Violin and where she managed the University Credit Union.

Managing the Credit Union was a big job and at the time all completely done using ledger books and an adding machine with paper tape. Her two boys were always mesmerized by how quickly her fingers flew across the keys of that machine as she balanced the books. During her tenure, the Credit Union grew from a mere few hundred members to many thousands, and the staff from one to four.

A favorite pastime for Virginia was spending time with friends and family at their Aspen inspired A-Frame cottage on Legend Lake in Wisconsin. She and Ray spent many hours cooking and baking while the boys spent time outside literally until the dinner bell rang!

In 1984 Ray was presented the opportunity of a lifetime as Visiting Professor of Violin at Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, Japan, and off they went. Ever the adventurers, Virginia soon found herself 15 time zones east of Wisconsin, living and working in the impossibly dense, bustling city of 12.5 million and exploring the unfamiliar and exotic cultures of the Far East.

Virginia spent two years working in the business office of the American School in Japan. The commute from their apartment to the school required managing both busses and trains and was about as from from life in Oshkosh as one can imagine. Yet even in their 60s, both thrived on the unique opportunity to live in Japan.

The Japan offer was extended and the two spent a total of 10 years living in Tokyo. Those years involved too many multi-cultural experiences to enumerate but suffice it to say they took full advantage. Many colleagues and students representing many cultures and nationalities remained lifelong friends.

In 1995 Virginia and Ray retired to Colorado, where they proudly and artistically decorated their home and garden with the multitude of artwork and cultural items collected during their travels. With the entire family all living on the same continent again there were many family holiday and birthday gatherings with many days spent sharing their lives with their two granddaughters.

With her gregarious outgoing personality Virginia made friends easily and the family joke was that within 60 seconds of meeting someone new, Virginia would regale her newfound acquaintance with stories of their life in Japan and their many travels.

Virginia and Ray remained avid supporters of the arts, regularly attending concerts, festivals, and theater performances throughout the Boulder/Denver area, Aspen CO, Tucson AZ, Savannah, GA, and on many trips abroad including London, Paris, Barcelona, Prague, Budapest, Munich, Krakow, and Dresden, among others.

Virginia has now been reunited with her beloved husband, but those who remain greatly miss her beaming face and kind demeanor.