Virginia Ann (May) Carlson was born Aug. 26, 1931, on a farm near Tarkio, MO, to Lloyd and Helen (Hiatt) May. She was the fourth of five children. She passed away peacefully Oct. 21, 2026, at Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson with her loving family by her side.
As a young girl the family moved to Rippey, where they ran a dairy along with farming. They moved to Paton 1943 where her family farmed for the rest of their lives. She joined the seventh grade class in Paton, wearing a pretty plaid skirt her mother had made her. This caught the eye of a young farm boy in her class, Doyle. “She and the skirt were the prettiest I had ever seen” he fondly recalls.
After graduating from Paton High School, they married in 1951. Shortly after their marriage, Doyle was drafted into the Korean War while Virginia worked at the Home State Bank in Paton. She paid off their first tractor so they could start farming by the time he returned.
They welcomed three children, Neil Keith, Carla Ann, and Zoe Ann. She was a loving mother and meticulous homemaker for her family. She enjoyed cooking, baking (always had a dessert on the counter), sewing, and was especially diligent about keeping a clean/organized house. Once her children were in school, she returned to banking for the next 27 years at Home State Bank in Jefferson. She enjoyed giving back to the people in her life by being active in her children’s lives, her community, and serving her church, including as treasurer for years. Virginia enjoyed traveling with Doyle and his gospel quartet, The Farmer’s Four, never missing a performance.
After retiring she poured her energy, time, and love into being active in her grandchildren’s lives and serving on community organization boards. She and Doyle enjoyed traveling whenever the time/opportunity would allow. They would go to Branson yearly for a few weeks to enjoy “all the great music and shows”. She welcomed their great-grandchildren and showered them with love, care, and encouragement. As she had with her grandchildren, she always had an ice cream cone with mini M&Ms in the bottom and cards to play on the airplane blanket.
She continued to be active her entire life to keep herself young. She treasured the connections made with people and how they enriched her life including her family, her dear nieces and nephews, fellow parishioners, co-workers, bank customers, community friends, coffee gals, and people they met on their travels.
She is preceded by her parents Lloyd and Helen; her parents-in-law Carl and Zoe Carlson; her beloved son Neil; son-in-law Scott Havens; sisters Martha and Margaret and their husbands; brother John and his wife; and sister-in-law JoAnn Carlson.
She is survived by her husband of 75 years, Doyle; daughters:Carla (Mike) Chow and Zoe Ann Havens; sister Mary Dawson; brother-in-law Keith Carlson; grandchildren Jessica Havens, Kady (Justin) Mickael, Dylan (Ashley) Havens, Maggie Havens (Lucas) and Sophia Havens; and great-grandchildren Elsie Mickael, Neil and Eli Snyder, and Hallie, Holt, and Hudsyn Havens; along with many nieces and nephews.
Memorials may be directed to the family, who will designate contributions to charities that were especially meaningful to Virginia. Funeral services will be held Oct, 26, 2026, at First United Methodist Church in Jefferson. Interment will be in the Paton Township Cemetery. Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home, Jefferson, 515-386-2171.
