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Virginia Pollock Greenlease was born on November 8, 1909 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was truly a one-of-a-kind individual. She was always quite gracious, kind, elegant, and really quite loving and caring toward everyone!
She attended schools in Kansas City and graduated as a Registered Nurse and practiced her profession for a number of years before she met and married Robert C. Greenlease in 1939. The couple was blessed with the birth of a beautiful daughter in 1941 and they named her Virginia Sue. In 1947, Virginia gave birth to a son and he was named Robert C. Greenlease, Jr. Robert and Virginia always called their beloved son “Bobby.” Their family home was in Mission Hills, Kansas on Verona Road, (a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri), and they enjoyed sharing their luxurious 30 + room home with family and friends across so many years. Their home was the gathering place for so many family and friends and Virginia and Robert loved to entertain; especially during the holidays.
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Virginia was a most devoted wife and mother and she adored her own two children. She taught her children to be loving and caring and she instilled in them strong traditional Roman Catholic values. She went with her children to St. Agnes Catholic Church in nearby Roeland Park, Kansas every Sunday and on many other occasions. It was at St. Agnes Church where both children were Baptized and grew to love their Roman Catholic Faith. Both children attended exclusive private schools in Kansas City, Missouri; Virginia Sue attended Sunset Hill Girl’s School near the Plaza, and Bobby attended the French Institute of Notre Dame de Sion Catholic Elementary School in Hyde Park. Virginia taught her children about the greatness of America and about the generosity of the American people towards people all around the world. And she insisted her children would be raised to reach out to the needs of the poor because their father, Robert C. Greenlease, was such a wonderful example of caring and generosity toward others. Virginia also was most loving and caring toward Robert’s adopted son Paul Robert (from Robert’s first marriage), and she always considered Paul as a wonderful “older brother” to her own two children.
When the deep and foreboding sadness and grief surrounded Virginia and Robert and their family when Bobby was kidnapped and murdered on September 28, 1953, Virginia held fast and grew even closer to her already strong Roman Catholic Faith. She was affirmed and uplifted in her Catholic Faith by the Rev. Joseph M. Freeman, S. J. from Rockhurst College and High School in Kansas City, who very kindly and devoutly affirmed her in her Catholic Faith. He reached out to Virginia and Robert throughout the tragic ordeal when Bobby was taken from them. Virginia often reflected on the beautiful and loving friendship Father Freeman afforded her and to her entire family. Father Freeman assured Virginia and Robert of God’s “constant and unfailing love” and he told them: “even in this darkest of hours in their lives, and in the lives of their entire family, God was holding each one of them very close.” Father Freeman spent many days and months and years comforting Virginia and Robert and their family, and he remained a deeply close family friend until his own passing.
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Virginia Greenlease always realized that God was, in fact, going to use her in a most positive manner. Of course, her loss of little Bobby was an unimaginable tragedy, and she knew and believed she would see Bobby again in Heaven. She decided to honor her little son in ways perhaps only a loving Mother can really understand. She was recalling the words spoken at Bobby’s funeral “Holy Mass of the Angels” at St. Agnes Catholic Church, on October 9, 1953, by Archbishop Edward Hunkeler of Kansas City, Kansas: “Do you think that in God’s omniscient presence He can be less than helpful to you? God created Bobby through the cooperation of his parents. He took him (Bobby) into His fold at Baptism. In short time, His purpose was fulfilled.” These loving words did bring much comfort to the Greenlease Family and many years later Virginia often recalled what the Archbishop had expressed. She said: “Words of encouragement spoken lovingly and sincerely are always remembered!”
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