I once referred to Virginia Roeder as “Baltimore’s own Martha Stewart.” The statement is a little out of character for me, but I wanted to convey my impression of Roeder’s business savvy, the way her “immaculate home” was described in the Sun, her reputation for culinary acumen, and the sense that Roeder was one of those people who seem to have access to extra hours in the day to do more while the rest of us are sleeping.
If I had known then that the Baltimore Sun would eventually quote me in Roeder’s obituary, I might have been more careful with my words.
At the time of her passing, she was Virginia Cobb. She also used the last name Wenger somewhere in between. She was preceded in death by her daughter Mimi Vaughan in 2024. Mimi was a local figure in her own right and a member of the Associated Black Charities board. Another daughter, Anne Roeder Kern of Oklahoma, survives Virginia, along with seven grand-children…