Dr. Virginia Rose (Elder) Widstrom

Dr. Virginia Rose Elder Widstrom, 82 of Tifton, passed away on January 8, 2022 at Legacy Village of Tifton Assisted Living.

Funeral services will be held at Albritton Funeral Directors on Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 2:00 P.M. with Rev. Hugh Ward officiating.  The family will receive friends on Friday January 14, 2022, at the funeral home from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. The interment will follow the service in Tift Memorial Gardens.

Jeff Widstrom, Gerald Widstrom, Matthew Widstrom, Gray Widstrom, Alex Widstrom and Rebecca Michelle Widstrom will serve as pallbearers.

Dr. Widstrom was born on February 16, 1939, in Hastings, NE to the late George Homer Elder and Rose Lavonia Pine Elder.  Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Neil Wayne Widstrom who died on February 21, 2014, and her brother, Dave Elder. She graduated from Yankton High School in 1957.  On September 4, 1960, in Yankton, South Dakota, she married her husband of fifty-three years, Dr. Neil Wayne Widstrom.  By 1962, she had graduated from South Dakota State University with her BS & MS in Chemistry, then graduated with her PhD in Organic Chemistry from UGA in 1988.  She was very proud of the fact that part of her time spent at UGA working on her PhD, was while her son Jeff was attending there also.  The couple moved to Tifton, GA in 1964 with their two sons.  Mrs. Widstrom taught at ABAC from 1966 to 1998 where she was a professor of Chemistry and a member of The American Chemical Society and Sigma Xi.  She was very active in Peace Lutheran Church of Tifton, the Lutheran Laymen’s League and a Hospice volunteer with Hospice of Tiftarea.  Mrs. Virginia loved to travel and during her life, she had traveled worldwide.  She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother who was happiest when surrounded by her family and friends.

She is survived by her two sons and daughters-in-law, Gerald and Chloe Widstrom of Ellicott City, MD and Jeff and Alison Widstrom of Braselton, GA; her five grandchildren, Matthew Widstrom, Rebecca Michelle Widstrom, Isabella Widstrom, Gray Widstrom, Alex Widstrom, Jennifer Myer, Jessica Kingsley and Kellie Kingsley; her great grandchildren, Kendall Myer, Brenna Myer and Lillie McGowan; her two brothers, Bob Elder and his wife Anna Studenski and Vince and Marcie Elder and her sister-in-law Lelia Elder

Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made to The Gideons at www.sendtheword.org.

Albritton Funeral Directors is in charge of the arrangements.