I just learned that Virginia, featured on one of my “American interview” videos, passed away a couple of years ago.
I met Virginia in 2017 in rural northern Minnesota when making a video for a home healthcare company whose services she used. It was a testimonial video, where she and other clients expressed appreciation for that business helping them.
Virginia and I got to know each other that day, and she soon began expressing more than just her thoughts on the company. Just as strong were her opinions on the state of the country. And just as descriptive, I’d later discover when visiting Virginia’s trailer home, were her stories about her rough-and-tumble life.
Yet the motorcycle gangs and poverty-stricken single motherhood in her past contrasted Virginia’s quiet life out in the country, where I would return on a couple of occasions to deliver bags of birdseed and greet her big, energetic guard dog.
Her thoughts on Trump's first election were what made it into my video on that very topic. It featured a montage of reactions from a dozen or so other Americans from several different states and political backgrounds.
In her gravelly voice, Virginia was brash but kindhearted, opinionated but appreciative of those who helped her. She also helped as much as she could, giving to the local police and donating a $1 a month on my former Patreon account to support my stories. As a storyteller, Virginia was a gold mine for her graphic recollections of extreme life featuring crime and violence. She'd recall them animatedly with cigarette in hand despite her physical limitations and, eventually, her need for oxygen.
Virginia's life and personality were uniquely American, and I'm sorry hers is no longer able to decorate our world.
-Brandon
p.s. Just as grateful as I am to have met Virginia am I grateful for another supporter helping these articles and stories of mine come to life. THANK YOU, Debbie K., for becoming the latest paid subscriber. 🙏