Riggs

Virginia Lee Riggs (née Donegia), born Sept. 28, 1930, passed away Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. Joseph Howard Riggs, born Feb. 18, 1928, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2025.

Virginia and Joseph Riggs, beloved partners in life, passed away peacefully at home in Slippery Rock, just three days apart, after more than 74 extraordinary years together. Their love was steadfast and their marriage inspired anyone fortunate enough to know them.

Ginny and Joe met in 1950 at a box social in Tyler County, W.Va., in what Joe called a “really fine accident,” and they married in July 1952. From those early days on, they were inseparable — a couple who held hands every chance they had, sang duets, teased each other with affection and cared for one another with unwavering devotion.

Ginny, born in Barbour County, W.Va., was the eldest daughter in a family of seven siblings. Ginny had an adventurous and curious spirit and gave tremendous life advice. She could decipher your astrological birth chart, but had an awful sense of direction. She was a loving mother and a doting grandmother who poured her heart into celebrating her family’s joys and supporting them through life’s challenges. She was always reading and writing, leaving many journal entries, letters and handwritten blessings behind.

Joe was from Tyler County, W.Va., one of six siblings and another nine half siblings, he was a devoted brother to them all. Joe was a born storyteller, a teacher by trade and at heart. As a college professor and speech and debate coach, he trained countless young people to find their voices, and continued teaching long after retirement. Joe was playful and silly, with a warmth that made him a trusted confidant to children and adults alike. He nurtured his relationships with tenderness and attention, and his joy in the lives of those around him was as boundless as his belief in their potential. He was also a veteran, retiring from the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander in 1975.

Together, Ginny and Joe created a life rich with meaning and connections. Their home was always open to family, friends and strangers alike. They hosted parties and reunions that were the stuff of legend. The sense of belonging they created was a gift to all who crossed their threshold.

Joe and Ginny shared a commitment to justice and equality, playing an active role in the Civil Rights Movement during their time in Memphis. They believed deeply in nonviolence, in resisting the status quo and in the inherent good in all people. Their lives were a testament to those ideals, and they lived their values every day, quietly shaping the world around them with their kindness and courage.

They are survived by their sons, Martin, Douglas and Phillip, and were preceded in death by their son, Jeffrey. Ginny is survived by her brother, Sherwood; sister-in-law, Sandy; and sister, Betty. Joe is survived by his sister-in-law, Donna.

They leave behind eight grandchildren, Chandra, Sara, Taja, Jessica, Grace, Katie, Tex and Graham; 11 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and countless friends who became family over the years.

RIGGS — A celebration of their lives will be held in the summer of 2025 for Virginia Lee Riggs, who died Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, and Joseph Howard Riggs, who died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, our family requests a donation to your local library or food bank in memory of Ginny and Joe. Or honor them by committing a random act of kindness.

Arrangements have been entrusted to SMITH FUNERAL HOME, Slippery Rock.

Please sign the guest book at www.butlereagle.com.