| Ona Sodaitis 

| “Every older person in your community has a story worth telling.” In the spirit of this declaration, Aging in America News and The Legacy Project collaborated to field and publish five intergenerational portraits composed by younger (17-25 years old) writers. Here, Sodaitis profiles her aunt Virginia.

| “While I didn’t have many personal possessions, I never lacked anything,” says Virginia Paulauskas. 

Growing up in an immigrant household, she experienced a unique upbringing shaped by constant movement. Now 79 years old, Virginia resides in Phoenix, Arizona. She was born in a refugee camp near Thisted, Denmark, shortly after the end of the Second World War. She had a strict upbringing, with high expectations. “It was rare to get praise for accomplishments,” she recalls, “because doing your best was expected.” 

Virginia’s parents, Bronislava and Juozas, were both from Lithuania and fled their homeland during the Second World War. They eventually landed in Denmark, where her family lived for several years. During this time, Bronislava gave birth to Virginia’s younger brother, Rimantas, who tragically died from whooping cough as an infant. Virginia grew up not knowing much about her grandparents: her mother’s parents passed away when she was only 16, and her father was a private man who rarely spoke about his own parents. Despite this limited knowledge of her extended family, Virginia later took it upon herself to create an extensive family tree, preserving her family’s history and sharing it with relatives.

Virginia and her family moved across several countries throughout her life. After a few years in Denmark, the family left and moved to Australia. When she was a toddler, they moved from Australia to Canada, and then years later to the United States. She lived for many years on the south side of Chicago and she later moved to Arizona, where she lives to this day. She spent her elementary school years in Winnipeg, Canada. She recalls her favorite teacher being her 5th-grade teacher, Mr. Stacey. “I went to a very Catholic school, so most of my teachers were nuns. But I liked Mr. Stacey because he was different from my nun teachers, who would emphasize religion more than curriculum.” Also, while the family lived in Canada, Virginia’s mother gave birth to her second son, Vytautas. 

Through all of her relocations, Virginia stayed closely connected to her Lithuanian background. One of her favorite family memories is attending Christmas Eve midnight Mass, and after mass, having a traditional Christmas feast shared with family and members of the local Lithuanian community. She also cherished participating in cultural activities such as choir, folk dancing, and attending a Lithuanian church. Up until her freshman year of college, she was a part of a Lithuanian dance group in Chicago. 

During her senior year of high school, Virginia worked at Spiegel Catalog Co., where she sorted through customer applications to make purchases. “But I’m sure that’s all online now,” she says.

She went on to attend college, majoring in British Literature. She attended the University of Illinois Circle campus, and at that time, the campus was located off of Lake Shore Drive—where Navy Pier is currently located. She takes great pride in the college education she earned, and her passion for literature eventually led her to a career as a library technician for the Chicago Public Library. She greatly enjoyed her work at the library and remained in that position until her retirement. 

She married a Vietnam War veteran, Kestutis (Casey) Paulauskas, and they had three children: Daiva, Audrey, and Tina. After the birth of their first daughter, Daiva, the family moved to Valparaiso, Indiana, where they lived for 40 years. When Casey retired, the couple moved to Arizona so that he did not have to deal with the harsh Midwest winters. “At first he wanted to move to Flagstaff, not realizing that city has real winter,” she says. Additionally, two of their daughters already lived in the area, and they wanted to be closer to them. While Virginia enjoys Arizona, she loves to reminisce about living in Chicago and visits when she can. Her husband passed away nine years ago. 

In her retirement, Virginia finds joy in caring for her three cats, Thelma, Louise, and Gemma. Thelma and Louise have lived together (and with Virginia) for many years. However, Gemma is a recent addition to their family. Gemma is formerly a stray; she initially spent time around her house looking for food, and over time (and after consulting her neighbors to ensure she didn’t belong to someone else), Virginia decided to take her in. The cat now has her own area of the house and lives separately from Virginia’s resident cats, Thelma and Louise. She fondly considers Gemma “the cat that adopted her.”

Virginia also enjoys early-morning walks to avoid the Arizona heat. She treasures spending time with her daughters, grandchildren, and niece. Among her proudest accomplishments is raising her three daughters to be outspoken, independent women. She preached to her daughters, “Do what makes you happy as long as you are not hurting others or yourself.”

Ona Sodaitis is a senior at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, Illinois. She plans to study sports management or kinesiology in college.