OBITUARY FROM FIND-A-GRAVE WEBSITE:
Virginia I “Ginger” Verplank Blank
Birth 5 Feb 1933, Hobart, Lake County, Indiana, USA
Death 20 Dec 2004 (aged 71), Chesterton, Porter County, Indiana, USA
Burial Burial Details Unknown
Memorial ID 138138262
VIRGINIA I. "GINGER" BLANK, age 71 years, of Burns Harbor, Indiana, passed away Monday, December 20, 2004 in Chesterton, Indiana.
She was born on February 5, 1933 in Hobart, Indiana, to parents, Paul and Lucille (Berrier) Verplank, who preceded her in death. Mrs. Blank moved to Chesterton from Hobart in 1951 with her parents to run Verplank and Son's Towing, a family owned business.
In 1949 she was awarded with a Bronze and Silver Medal in the U.S. National Roller Skating competition at the Hollywood Bowl. After graduating from Hobart High School, she led a fashion modeling career, landing a featured photo in Vogue magazine.
In 1967 she was hired as the Town of Burns Harbor's first Police, Street, and Building Clerk, and later promoted to Deputy Town Marshal and Matron. Also around the same time a street was dedicated to the family name, Verplank Drive in Burns Harbor, IN. She retired from the Porter County Sheriff's Department in 1999 as a Jail Officer. She was extremely enthusiastic, excited, and proud of her 32 years in Law Enforcement work and achievements. Her hobbies included working crosswords and watching football and figure skating. She also liked researching genealogy.
She is survived by: son, Kenneth (Brenda) Blank II of Franklin, KY and daughter, Paula (Douglas) Walstra of Chesterton, IN; 9 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held Tuesday, December 28, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. at Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home Portage Chapel, 6941 Central Ave., Portage, IN with Pastor Tim McGuire officiating. The family suggests memorials to VNA Hospice of Porter County, 501 Marquette St., Valparaiso, IN 46383.
Post-Tribune (IN) - December 26, 2004
This information and the pictures below were obtained from: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/138138262/virginia-i-blank. The picture above was obtained from the 1950 HHS Memories yearbook, made available by the Lake County Public Library, at: https://archive.org/details/HOHS1950Images/.