Died in Lillian, Alabama on August 26, 2012. He was 84 years old.
Virgil was born on February 8, 1928 in Minot, North Dakota, the 7th of 9 children.
A son of the depression, he joined the United States Army in 1948 and served with distinction during the Korean War receiving a battlefield commission from Sergeant to Second Lieutenant.
His 40 year military career included command of an engineer company, service during the Berlin Airlift, his transition to army aviation, serving as Commandant of the North Dakota National Guard Officer Candidate School, and retiring as the Chief Flight Safety Officer for the state.
Virgil went on to great success in small business simultaneously owning and operating the Turtle Mountain Lodge at Lake Metigoshe, North Dakota and as acting as the President and majority owner of Aquatic Weed Harvester, Incorporated.
Over a 15 year period, he became a pillar of the resort community acting as the President of the Lake Metigoshe Improvement Association for 8 years, President of the Lake Metigoshe Recreation Service District for 5 years, and The North Dakota Director of the Old West Trails International Tourism for 5 years. For his efforts, he received the Greater North Dakota Association Tourism and Recreational Development Award in 1985.
Always giving of his time and talent, Virgil established and was the first Fire Chief of the Lake Metigoshe Volunteer Fire Department and the Lake Metigoshe Lion's Club.
He relocated to Alabama in 1994 becoming the Director of Maintenance for the Brett-Robinson Gulf Corporation for 8 years. He spent his final years in very active retirement volunteering at the Pensacola VA Hospital and serving faithfully in his church at the Fairfield Presbyterian Church.
Virgil will be forever remembered as a dedicated husband, loving father, loyal friend, and caring grandfather. He was a good humored, kind and modest man - quick with a joke and capable of solving any problem he confronted.
He had a passion for flying holding United States Army Master Aviator Wings and obtaining countless flight hours in every aircraft in the army inventory from 1953 to 1978. Virgil was often seen dive bombing his own resort in the Cessna 206 airplane that he owned for many years just for his own personal amusement.
He loved visits from family and friends to his bayside home meticulously preparing for their arrivals and spending countless hours with his grandchildren and pets.
Virgil is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Mary Charlotte, his children, Kimberlee Jiskra (Keith) of Foley, Alabama; Kandace Kay Holt (Tim) of Grafton, North Dakota; Kristine Alisa Kortgaard (Lonnie) of Bottineau, North Dakota; Kori Veralyn Nestibo (Darcy) of Goodlands, Manitoba; Sean Thomas Carney (Shonda) of Fairhope, Alabama; and James Mitchell Kottsick of Lillian, Alabama, His brother, Quentin Kottsick (Carol) of Ulen, Minnesota; sisters Norma Johnson and Ruth Weber of Minot, North Dakota; Jacqueline King (Donald)of Fargo, North Dakota, his 14 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren and countless nieces and nephews, each of whom he loved very much.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Mae Elizabeth King; his sisters, Viola Graff, Evelyn Zick, and Grace Otto; and his brother, Robert Kottsick.
He will be remembered in a memorial service on Wednesday, September 5th at 11:30 the Fairfield Presbyterian Church in Pensacola followed by a ceremony with full military honors at Fort Barrancas National Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 04, 2012 at Oak Lawn Funeral Home, 619 New Warrington Road, Pensacola, FL.
Virgil's life was best defined by the award given the Honor Candidate at the North Dakota Officer Candidate School for several years after his tenure as Commandant had ended. The Virgil R. Kottsick Award was inscribed with the words "For Exceptional Loyalty, Honor, and Dedication to Duty".
He is truly loved and missed by all who knew him.