Posted on 01/04/2019
Velura Louise (Anderson) Highberg (1927 - 2018)
Velura Highberg, 91, died peacefully at her home at Westminster-Canterbury in Winchester, VA December 23, 2018 with her children at her side.
Velura was born November 25, 1927 in Hibbing, MN to Carl John and Lola Emmerich Anderson, the first of their five children. She attended Hibbing Public School from kindergarten through junior college.
A love of games and outdoor sports camping, hiking, fishing, ice skating, and snow sports of all kinds was a major feature of their family life, set against the day-to-day of cooking, sewing, and crafts.
In 1950 she married U.S. Naval Academy graduate Roy Warren Highberg of Duluth, MN, whom she adored for 56 wonderful years of marriage. As the wife of a career Naval officer, Velura devoted her life to her family and service. Over 30 years while raising their own four children, they made new homes near a succession of 14 different duty stations in six different states.
Velura sewed clothes for herself and crafted hats, bags, scarfs for every member of the family; and she made curtains and wall decorations for each new home and every holiday.
She was always actively engaged in the communities in which they lived, from church and scouting volunteer work to Navy wives' clubs and school PTAs. And there were always camping vacations, family softball games, ice skating, sledding (and golf) on public golf courses, swimming in rural millponds, and other outdoor adventures.
Adapting to frequent moves, Velura and Roy maintained their sense of community by nourishing contact with far-flung family, old friends from Minnesota, and newer friends they gathered along the way.
Their last tour of duty was in the Washington, D.C. area, where they were residents of McLean, VA from 1968-1983.
In 1983 they retired to 20 wooded acres in Browntown, VA in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and that home became an important summer and holiday gathering place as their children spread from California to Colorado and Indiana and began families of their own.
Velura made friends in the community, hiked the local trails, joined crafting and quilting groups in the region, and led the Christmas Bazaar at the Browntown Community Center.
She and Roy enjoyed many wonderful trips across the country and abroad during those years, and she loved entertaining friends at their home.
Following Roy's death in 2006, Velura moved to Westminster-Canterbury in Winchester, where she has been a resident since 2007. Despite feeling a hole in her life once filled by Roy, Velura loved living at Westminster-Canterbury and was active with friends and activities during her years there.
She enjoyed being with people, traveling, and was an accomplished quilter, seamstress and crafts person.
A devoted mother and proud grand (and great-grand) mother, Velura is survived by her children and their spouses, Roy Highberg and Julie Stafford of Huntersville, NC, Bruce and Angie Highberg of Carmel, IN, Lynne and Charles Watkins of Princeton, NJ, and Gary and Patty Highberg of Herndon, VA; eight grandchildren, Heather, Lindsay (Chris), Nathan (Jessie), Thomas, Kelly, Karsten, Eva, and Alyssa; and two great grandchildren, Kyler and Kameron. Velura is also survived by a brother and sister, Lyle Anderson of Crossville, TN and Cheryl Hartley (Jim) of Wichita, KS.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. January 19 at Westminster - Canterbury, Winchester, VA.
Interment will take place in Arlington National Cemetery on a date to be determined in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Browntown Community Center Association, 96 Browntown Road, Browntown, VA 22610.
Arrangements are being handled by Enders & Shirley Funeral Home, Berryville, VA.
To view the obituary and send condolences online, please visit www.endersandshirley.com
Enders and Shirley Funeral Home – Berryville
1050 W. Main Street
Berryville, VA 22611
540-955-1062
Published in Northern Virginia Daily on Jan. 5, 2019