Virgil VanBatavia, age 83, formerly of Luverne, died Sunday, January 18, 2026, at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud. He was born October 22, 1942 in Luverne to Bernard & Grace (Franken) VanBatavia.  He grew up in Luverne.  He served his country in the United States National Guard.  He married Anna DeGroot on November 2, 1962 in Luverne and they were later divorced.  He later married Susan Young on April 9, 2009 in Duluth.  Virgil worked at IBP in Luverne. He left IBP to start his cabinet making career with his brother Roger at Country Cupboards in Luverne.  Later he worked for Design Line Cabinets and Crystal Cabinets in Sauk Rapids until his retirement.  Virgil liked to spend time fishing and gardening, (oh how he loved his garden and lawn), he was a master woodworker and made many cabinets for his family after his retirement.  In his younger years he was a pitcher on a fastpitch softball league in Luverne and is still known and talked about for his pitching in the Luverne area.  He loved cats and rescued many stray cats over his lifetime.  Most importantly Virgil loved his family, especially his grandkids and great grandkids.  He so enjoyed watching their sporting events and activities over the years.

He is survived by his wife, Susan Young of Foley; daughters, Tammy (Tom) Johnson, Debbie Pantekoek; grandchildren, Lyndsie (Brandon) Deragisch, Brandie (Justin) Hulstein, Kaila Hamann, Emilee (Nate) Haraldson, Nic (Melanie) Johnson, Torri (Austin) Rykhus and Jamie (Mason) Everett; great grandchildren, Kynslee, Calyn, Kaenen, Kamille, Ryder, Gracie, Beckham, Jayden and 1 on the way; siblings, (twin brother), Verlyn (Susie) VanBatavia, Roger (Barb) VanBatavia and Ruth (Mark) Wallig; sister-in-law, Karen Young; brother-in-law, Peter (Kristen) Young; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and brother-in-law, William Young.

A gathering of friends and family will take place on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 from 4-7PM at the Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in St. Cloud. Memorial services will also take place on Thursday, January 29, 2026 at American Reformed Church in Luverne at 1:30 PM with a visitation 1 hour prior all at the church.  Burial will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne at a future date.

Dingmann Funeral Home & Cremation Services, in Luverne, is assisting the family with local arrangements.