Virgie Rea Hillegas

Virgie Rea Bush Hillegas was born on Aug 2, 1933 at the family farm near Logan in Beaver County, Oklahoma. She was the fifth of six children to Levi Walton Bush and Ethel Elmira Liggett Bush – the first daughter after four boys. When she was born, word was sent to her grandparents’ nearby farm that, “It’s a girl! And she has red hair!”

The family lived in Oklahoma until 1935 when they were forced by the Dust Bowl to move to Missouri. They eventually settled in the town of Orrick. In 1942, war brought Virgie’s family to Kansas City, Missouri where her father went to work at North American Aviation making B25 bombers.

Virgie attended Yeager Elementary School and graduated from Manual High School in 1951. She earned a B.A. in education in 1955 from Kansas City University, now University of Missouri at Kansas City.

She went on to become a teacher in the Kansas City School District, teaching 1st and 2nd grade at Leeds School, Bristol School and Pitcher School for the next 11 years.

Virgie married James Michael Hillegas (Jim) on July 7, 1963 at Raytown Christian Church. They had grown up on the same street in Kansas City, two doors away. The families had been close but had lost touch. After a chance meeting, Virgie and Jim started dating and fell in love. They were totally made for each other.

Jim worked at the Kansas City Star & Times and Virgie continued teaching until the birth of their first child. Daughter Carol Alexandra was born in 1966. Son James Michael Jr (Mike) was born in 1971.

In 1976, with both kids in school, Jim and Virgie began working as real estate agents and brokers at Cliff Brisbois Real Estate and later Eugene D. Brown Real Estate.

Even with a career, Virgie was an active mom, always volunteering and helping out as a room mother in the classroom and on school fieldtrips. She was Carol’s Girl Scout Troope Leader and Mike’s Cub Scout Den Mother.

In 1981 Virgie and Jim moved the family to Glendale, Arizona where Virgie resumed teaching in the Peoria Unified School District and Jim worked at the Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette newspapers.

Virgie lost Jim in 1987 when he passed away suddenly at the age of 56. It was a shattering experience, but she picked herself up and kept going, out of dedication to her family and her work as a teacher. She continued teaching kindergarten until her retirement in 1998.

Virgie enjoyed her many years of retirement. She especially enjoyed traveling to visit family and friends across the country whom she loved so dearly. She always loved keeping in touch with cards and letters, phone calls and emails, and eventually texts and video calls. She took joy in doing crafts and handwork, making beautiful gifts for everyone she knew.

She delighted in birds and spent many happy hours birdwatching and keeping a log of everything she spotted. Virgie belonged to a Tai Chi group for many years and made good friends there. She also enjoyed working in her yard and visiting with neighbors. Above all, she was someone who appreciated the simple pleasures in life, savoring happy moments and all the things that money can’t buy.

Virgie had an active mind and read widely and voraciously, everything from serious, intellectual topics to light, fun novels. She remained engaged and interested in the world around her, always curious and hungry to learn about new things and expand her knowledge. She was an amazing cook and loved good food and wine. Even in her last years, she was still experimenting with new recipes and adding delicious meals to her repertoire.

She was a wonderful and adored wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend. As a teacher, she touched uncountable lives and was still in touch with former students and people she taught with going back to the 1950s. Even years after her retirement, she might be approached by a grown adult, asking tentatively if she used to be a teacher. “Are you Mrs. Hillegas?” She loved that.

Virgie was truly a good person. She was sweet, funny, patient, and always ready to see the good in things. She was a very open person, generous with her affection, with a special gift for making everyone around her feel good. She was also tough, resilient, and independent-minded.

To her children she wasn’t just a mom, she was a best friend. There was always a lot of laughter, fun, and good conversation. She leaves a huge hole in their world, but they know she flies free and that brings them joy and comfort.

Virgie passed away in Glendale, Arizona on Oct 28, 2026 at the age of 93.

She is preceded in death by her husband Jim, parents Levi and Ethel Bush, brothers Eldred Walton Bush, Wilmer Leon Bush, Levi Walton Bush Jr, Adrian Leon Bush and a sister, Ethelyn Josephine Bush, who died shortly after birth.

She is survived by daughter Carol and son Mike, both of Peoria, Arizona, sister Ellen Pearl and brother-in-law John Bernard Shrable of Butte, Montana, along with beloved nieces and nephews and cousins.

Memorial donations may be made in Virgie’s name to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St. Phoenix, AZ 85014. She was and her family is so grateful for the care, love and support they provided to them.