Vronna Endahl

Vronna Lee Endahl peacefully passed away at her residence in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday, March 26, 2021.  Vronna was born in the farmhouse of her parents, Raymond and Frances Lee, in Dewey County South Dakota on October 21, 1925. She attended a rural country school two miles from her home.  It was closed when only three students were in attendance.  The next school was four miles away.  She walked or rode her horse to both rural schools.  She graduated from Isabel High School in 1942 where she was valedictorian of her class.  That fall she enrolled at South Dakota State University graduating in 1946 majoring in Home Economics Education.  She was elected to the honorary societies of Phi Upsilon Omicron and Sigma Lambda Sigma.  After graduating she taught Home Economics at Spearfish South Dakota High School.  She then became the Home Demonstration Agent for the Meade County Extension Service.  She did graduate work at the University of Maryland and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

In 1948 Vronna married Lowell Endahl, a returning Marine Corp pilot, whom she met her senior year at South Dakota State University.  Their first home was in Plankinton, SD where Lowell began his career in Rural Electrification and Vronna taught at the high school.  Twin sons, John and Jay, were born in 1950.  They moved to Alexandria, VA in 1954 when Lowell joined the National Rural Electrification Association in Washington, DC.  A third son, Mark was born that year.  Vronna returned to teaching, first as director and teacher at a private kindergarten before Virginia had state sponsored kindergarten.  She then taught Home Economics in Fairfax County high schools until her retirement in 1986.

Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, DC, was an integral part of her life since 1954.  She taught Sunday School and served on the Altar Committee for more than 40 years and was involved in community service work.  Since retirement she spent many hours volunteering at the Mount Vernon Estate and for other community organizations.  She was an active member of the Potomac Home Economists.  Vronna loved to travel.  Along with her husband they visited every state, every continent, and forty foreign countries on business and for pleasure.

Vronna was an avid gardener.  Many vegetable and flower plants that she had started from seed were shared with friends and neighbors and planted in her own garden.  Perennials were divided and shared.  She and Lowell were partners working in a large vegetable garden and yard.  The produce provided nutritious meals for their family, neighbors, and friends.  They shared the boxwood, holly, nandina berries, magnolia and other greens from their yard at Christmas.  Flower arranging was a creative hobby.  She also loved to entertain large or small groups of people in her home.

But most of all Vronna loved her husband and family.  Derived from her midwestern background, she exhibited deep family values and strong work ethics that were instilled into the family.  Family gatherings at holidays, birthdays, or summer vacations were very important to her to strengthen that family bond. Her love of baseball culminated with her favorite team, the Washington Nationals, winning the 2019 World Series.

Vronna is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Lowell, of 64 years who died March 1, 2013, her brother Arnold and parents Raymond and Frances.  She is survived by three sons, John and wife Kaye of Radford, VA, Jay and his wife Jamie of Charlottesville, VA, and Mark and wife Carol of Alexandria, VA; grandchildren Sarah and husband Zach, of Mount Pleasant, SC, Bryan of Herndon, VA, Jordan and wife Mary Jo of Vancouver, WA, Marina of Lubbock, TX and Jenna of Alexandria; great grandchildren, Caylee, and Tanner (Mount Pleasant) and Jane (Vancouver); a sister Florine Glaus of Chamberlain, SD, as well as many close and devoted friends.  Her final resting place will be at the family tombstone in the Solberg Lutheran rural Cemetery near Wessington Springs, SD, a cemetery established in 1884 by Norwegian immigrants. 

The family welcomes memorial donations to Luther Place Memorial Church, Washington, D.C. (see link below), the Solberg Lutheran Cemetery Fund (Lutheran Community Foundation, 625 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 1500, Minneapolis, MN 55415), or to a charity of choice.      

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