Obituary

VIRGINIA COREY BYRNE

A loving wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, great aunt, cousin, and true friend, our beloved Virginia Byrne passed away peacefully in Mission Viejo, CA, on March 7, 2025, at age 92, just shy of her 93^rd birthday.

Born Virginia Corey on April 28, 1932, in Westmoreland County, PA, to parents Anna and Frank, Virginia grew up in Latrobe, PA, with seven siblings: sisters Mary and Katherine, and brothers John, Mike, Joe, Steve, and Walt Corey who later gained fame as a pro football player and coach most notably with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.

Virginia later moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she graduated from Eastern High School. There she met Tom Byrne whom she later married on July 26, 1952, at the U.S. Naval Receiving Station Chapel in Washington, D.C., while Tom was enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After Tom completed his naval service, they relocated to Detroit, Michigan. Virginia gave birth to two sons, Steven and Michael, and the family moved to Southern California in 1964, first to Los Angeles before settling in Orange, California to raise the boys. Virginia remained an Orange County resident for the rest of her life.

While she eventually became a licensed cosmetologist, spending over 25 years as a professional hairdresser, her greatest passion was being a caring and nurturing mother and matriarch for her immediate and extended family, fully meeting the textbook definition of that role with strength, commitment, and her ability to love with wisdom and without condition. Always kind and generous, she was guided through life by her strong Catholic faith. A great cook, she so enjoyed taking the lead or helping her sister, Mary, prepare the one-of-a-kind grand feasts enjoyed by several generations of family on holidays, other special occasions, and at frequent get togethers.

Virginia is survived by her sons Steven and Michael, daughters-in-law Kelli and Lisa, several grandchildren and great grandchildren, nieces and great nieces, and nephews and great nephews. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her, and forever remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, aunt, and faithful friend.