Service held for long-time Bend senior advocate

A long-time senior advocate for the city of Bend was recognized Saturday at a public memorial service.

Virginia Reddick worked for many years on behalf of the senior citizens in Bend as president of the United Senior Citizens of Bend.

Reddick helped start the Dial a Ride service and was instrumental in getting the Meals on Wheels program going. She also led the fund-raising effort for the new Bend Senior Center

Her son, March, spoke first, saying she felt that the community was her family.

Bend’s Community Center Executive Director Linda Heatley says she will miss the daily chats she had with Reddick.

“I would stop by her office when she got in in the morning,” Heatley said. “We would sit and we would talk about all the things going on, what was happening at Bend’s Community Center, what was happening with her program and how to work together to draw more people in — that was her goal.”

And Heatley says Reddick accomplished that goal.

Reddick actually started the United Senior Citizens of Bend group, which will continue on.

She passed away on Thursday, February 14 after a major stroke.