Virginia Mae Sluss passed away Monday, February 10, 2014, at Vintage Place in El Dorado.

Virginia was born September 28, 1922, just north of El Dorado, the second of four children born to Harry H. Murphy and Icy Rutherford Murphy. She attended District 39 Grade School near her home, but came to El Dorado for her high school education. Shortly after graduating high school in 1940, she went to work for the Ray L. Smith Construction Company of El Dorado and traveled with the company as they worked on the Big Inch Pipeline. The company travels took them to French Lick, Indiana; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; and throughout Illinois. She married William H. Sluss on March 25, 1944, at the parsonage of the First Christian Church where she was an active lifelong member.

After William's retirement from farming and ranching, they traveled extensively throughout the world making new friends and creating wonderful memories. After William's death in 1997, Virginia spent quiet hours looking at the photo albums she had created from these trips including New York City, the Panama Canal, Alaska, Canada, parts of Europe, Russia, the Caribbean, New Zealand and Australia. Virginia was a charter member of the Freya Study Club (founded in 1953) and served in many capacities, including as the third president. She was an expert seamstress and there was nothing she wouldn't tackle -- from prom dresses to quilts. She played in various bridge clubs. She avidly solved crossword puzzles, often in pen, and was a great reader so there was always a book at hand. Virginia had many friends from various walks of life and loved them all. On the farm there was always a dog, the last was Cricket, who she loved as family.

She is survived by her three siblings Eva Lachenmayr, Alfred Murphy (Norma), and Mary McCoy (Chester); two daughters Teresa Sluss Radebaugh (Day) and Sara Sluss (Marty Pawlocki), her beloved granddaughter Janet Radebaugh Arnet (Kevin).

She is predeceased by her husband William H. Sluss, her daughter Mary Jane Sluss, and her brother-in-law Virgil Lachenmayr.

Special thanks to the staff of Vintage Place who made her life as comfortable and pleasant as possible in the last few years. Her caregivers will all deserve special places in heaven for their many kindnesses.

The family requests memorials to the Bradford Memorial Library and the First Christian Church of El Dorado.

Arrangements will be handled by Dunsford Funeral Home of Augusta, Kansas. Cremation has taken place. A celebration of her life will be held in the spring at the First Christian Church of El Dorado. Date and time will be announced later.

Virginia loved her travels and always encouraged those around her to travel with the words "go while you can" and now she travels to somewhere new.