Virginia Stiles

Pastor Virginia L. Stiles, 67, of Ames, Iowa formerly of Eldora, Iowa died on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at the Israel Family Hospice House in Ames, Iowa. Funeral services will be at 10:30 am on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at the Eldora United Methodist Church in Eldora with Pastor Kenneth Briggs officiating. Burial will follow at 3 pm at the Scranton Cemetery in Scranton, Iowa. Visitation is from 5 pm to 7 pm on Tuesday at Creps-Abels Funeral in Eldora.






Virginia Lee Stiles was born May 9, 1943 in Jefferson, Iowa to Marcus and Pauline (Hufferd) Stiles. She attended school and graduated from Scranton Consolidated School in 1960. She was raise in the United Methodist Church, belonging to the church in Scranton and later to the church in Eldora. In 1979 she changed her membership to the United Church of Christ in Eldora.

She began employment in the newspaper business with “The Scranton Journal” in January 1961. While employed there she learned every possible aspect of the newspaper and in 1966 accepted a newly-created position as county news editor with the Eldora Newspapers in Eldora, Iowa. Virginia was employed there for 32 years serving as county news editor, new and feature editor, and as a weekly columnist and editorial writer.

As a writer, Virginia was a member of the Iowa Newspaper Association, and Iowa Press Women, Inc. She served IPW in a variety of ways, including first and second vice presidents, and then state president. In her 37 years as a journalist, Virginia received over 80 state and national writing awards. Then in 1984, she was presented the coveted Women of Achievement Award by her peers.

Starting in 1994, Virginia felt called from the journalist field into the ministry and began to take training for the licensed lay ministry in Des Moines. A three year process, she graduated from the program in June, 1997. In October of that year, Virginia made a major conscious decision to enter the ministry on a full-time basis.

Virginia was interviewed for the pastoral position with the United Church of Westside, Iowa in December of 1997, and began serving the church on January 1, 1998. Virginia published a book, entitled, “Eating My Words: One Woman’s Spiritual Journey” and it was released to the public in June, 2006. She continued to serve the church in Westside until she entered into semi-retirement on November 1, 2006. At that time she moved to Ames, Iowa and on January1, 2007 began serving the Salem United Church of Christ in Alleman during a time when the existing pastor was having health problems. She finished the assignment with the Alleman church in July of 2007, and then accepted an interim position with the Earlville United Parish in Earlville, Iowa. She was there until June of 2008 when she accepted and appointment to the Loring United Methodist Church, south of Maxwell and Ames.

Survivors include a sister, Judith (Heinie) Boomgarden of Eldora; a niece, Mary (Miles) Murphy of Minot, North Dakota; great niece, Riley Elsbury of Minot; and a special godson, Jim Bahr (Denise) of Ankeny, Iowa and their children, Bradley and Tracey. She was preceded in death by her father in 1953, her mother in 1983, and a brother in infancy in 1941.