Viola "Vi" Gritten

Viola C. Gritten was born on June 12, 1924, on the family farm near Republic, the daughter of William A. & Dollie D. (Stradley) Hallack. Vi attended and graduated from Republic High School, class of  1941.

She took normal training and taught in country schools for four years.  She used her love for people and untaught ability to use psychology to manage even the orneriest students.

She was united in marriage to Leo James Gritten on June 12, 1946, and to this union of over 60 years, one daughter, Gretchen, was born.

Vi and Leo farmed north of Courtland, and Vi was a farm wife and home maker, helping Leo in any way she could.  She was an excellent gardener and canned the vegetables she grew.  She had many talents and used those as a baker and cake decorator to make and decorate amazing wedding cakes for several of her nieces and nephews.  Eventually, she used her exceptional skills as a seamstress at MC Industries sewing medical supplies.  After they retired from farming, Vi and Leo moved to Belleville.  Vi loved people and enjoyed visiting with and helping family and friends in any way she could.

Viola passed away on March 12, 2022, in Clyde, Kansas, at the age of 97 years and 9 months.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Leo, daughter Gretchen, brothers Curtis and Gerald Hallack, and sister Maudie Sothers.

She will be forever remembered by her grandsons, John Munson and his wife Sarah Schneider of St. Peters, Missouri, and James Munson of Austin, Texas. She is also survived by her son in law, Robert Munson of Weldon Springs, Missouri, brother Ralph Hallack and his wife Mary Jane of Belleville, sister in law Lavarre Hallack of Belleville, many nieces and nephews, and a community of friends.

Funeral Services will be Sunday, March 20th, 2022, at 2:00 pm, at Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home in Belleville. Visitation will be two hours prior to the service, at the funeral home. Burial will follow the services, at Union Valley Cemetery, rural Scandia.

Memorials are requested to the Republic County Community Foundation and may be sent in care of the funeral home.

Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home assisted the Gritten family with these arrangements, www.tibbettsfischerfuneralhome.com