Virginia "Virgie" Malijan Jaranilla, 92. October 28, 1932-December 9, 2024. Chicago, IL.

Virgie was born the youngest of eight children of Pascual Jaranilla and Aguida Malijan Jaranilla in Silay City on the island of Negros Occidental, Philippines. She studied in St. Theresita's Academy in Silay and La Consolacion College in Bacolod, before answering the call of God and joining the Carmelite Order as a cloistered nun. Due to health issues, she had to leave the order. However, God continued to call her to service, and she fearlessly joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, spreading the good word in Cotabato on the island of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines.

After her mission, her adventurous nature called her on to even more distant shores, and she landed in Chicago in the 1970s. She proved to be a jane of all trades, working as a hospital phlebotomist one moment, then serving at the St. Joseph Hospital Chapel. While she never married, she remained devoted to God, the church, and the community. She became active in many church groups and community organizations in Chicago, including the Rizal Center, brightening up many a Filipino community event. Her dedication to the community earned her an Outstanding Service Award during the 1990 Philippine Week in Chicago.

She was a woman of many talents: singing, piano, flower arrangement, jewelry, and other arts and crafts. She never hesitated to share her creations with her friends and family and filled the lives of those she touched with love and beauty. She is survived by her nieces, nephews, and their families.

Her memorial will be held on December 13, 2024, from 4:00pm to 9:00 pm at Hursen Funeral Home & Crematory, 4001 Roosevelt Road, Hillside, IL. Afterwards, she will be inurned in her homeland in Silay.

"I know of one means only by which to attain to perfection: LOVE. Let us love, since our heart is made for nothing else. Sometimes I seek another word to express Love, but in this land of exile the word which begins, and ends is quite incapable of rendering the vibrations of the soul; we must then adhere to this simple and only word: TO LOVE." – St. Thérèse of Lisieux