Welch, Virginia Lucille 02/25/1918 ~ 01/08/2015 LA MESA -- Virginia was born in Champaign, Illinois to Richard and Ethel Bassett along with her sister, Lois. She was "Virgie" to her classmates and "Ginny" to her friends later in life. She was preceded in death by the love of her life, her husband of 64 years, Leonard Hill Welch. She and the family were forced, at an early age, to move west to a better climate because of the father's health problems. First to Denver, then to Tucson, where she grew up. Unfortunately, her father died at age 38, leaving the mother and two sisters to cope. They got by, and even made trips back to Illinois in model T's and A's. Quite an adventure in those days. Virginia met Leonard in Tucson and actually dated for awhile when they were teenagers, before going their separate ways. World War II brought her to Los Angeles where, along with hundreds of other women, worked for Douglas Aircraft. Her mother was an air raid warden in their neighborhood. (Tragically, her sister Lois had been killed in an auto accident in 1940). She and Leonard got back together again after the war (he in the middle of a 20 year naval career) and were married. They moved to Pacific Palisades, then San Diego (La Mesa) where the navy had brought them. They fashioned a great life together, living in the same house in La Mesa since 1949. Add-ons to the house and many gardens kept them busy. They had two dogs: first "Blackie", then "Trig", to "guard the homestead". Annual trips to Leonard's home state of Texas were some of their enjoyable activities. Virginia is survived by sons Richard (Rose) and Max (Donna), grandchildren Wendy (George), Sandra (James), Crystal, James (Veronica), and great- grandchild, Ashleigh. A funeral service will be held on January 22 2015, at Erickson- Anderson Mortuary, 619-466-3297, at 12:00 p.m., with a committal service to follow at Miramar National Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest with her husband Leonard.