VIRGINIA P. L. REIS, age 83, of Loyal, peacefully passed away at her home surrounded by her family on Monday, November 12, 2018.  Funeral services will be held at 1pm on Monday, November 19, 2018 at St. Anthony Catholic Church, in Loyal.  Rev. Canon Aaron B. Huberfeld will officiate the Latin Mass, and burial will follow in St. Anthony Catholic Cemetery.  Pallbearers will be Zachary Nikolai, David Nikolai, Louis Nikolai, Peter Reis, Timothy Nikolai, Mathew Nikolai, Richard Reis, James Reis, Jacob Reis and Jeff Zettler.  Visitation will be held at the church on Sunday, November 18, 2018 from 4pm to 8pm, and again, on Monday, from 12pm until time of service.
Virginia Pauline Lenore Deck was born on June 8, 1935 in South Bend, IN, to Ferdinand A. and Gladys E. (Nulf) Deck.  As a young girl, her family moved to Pittsburgh, PA where she was raised and received her education.  While in Pittsburgh, she sang weekly on KDKA Radio with her siblings, a group they called the Deck Five.  Virginia graduated from Divine Providence Academy in 1953.  She then attended St. Joseph’s Nursing School in Pittsburgh, becoming a nurse in 1956.  While working as a nurse, she met and cared for a patient that she eventually fell in love with.  Virginia was united in marriage to Richard H. Reis on January 14, 1956 at St. Joseph’s Mt. Oliver Catholic Church in Pittsburgh.  They began farming in the Pittsburgh area and raising a family.  In 1972, they sold their farm in Pennsylvania, and moved to a farm that they purchased near Unity, WI.  Virginia resided on the farm until she and her husband divorced in 2016.
She had many interests, but especially loved spending time with her family and friends, her dogs, horses, gardening, spinning wool, and crocheting.
Virginia attended St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Oratory in Wausau, was a former member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Colby, where she sang in the choir for several years, and was a 4-H Leader for the Horse Haven 4-H Club in Unity, for many years.
She is survived by her 5 daughters: Deborah (John) Baird of Colby, Emma (Allen) Zettler of Colby, Mary Ann (Rob) Rinehart of Willard, Junitta (Todd) Nikolai of Loyal, Elizabeth (Roger) Nikolai of Loyal; her 4 sons: Andrew (Colleen) of Unity, Daniel (Carmen) of Marshfield, Patrick (Kulani) of Unity, Anthony (Jody) of Unity; 51 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; 2 sisters: Dolores Deck of Manhattan Beach, CA, Sr. Rosemonde Deck of Kingston, MA; 4 nieces: Gina, Linne, Karen, Barbara; one nephew: Greg; her former husband: Richard Reis of Unity; other relatives and friends.
Virginia was preceded in death by her parents; 2 sons: David and Richard Reis, Jr.; 3 great-grandsons: Trevor, Aden and Scott; one sister: Sr. Rosalie Deck; and one brother: Fr. Marion Deck T.O.R. Franciscan.