Who is Virginia Taft from Taft and what is their importance?

Virginia is Levon's wife, and the mother of Fay and Carl. She spends the majority of her time caring for her overworked husband and worrying that her children do not respect her. Virginia is employed as a secretary, but after the death of her husband, she spends most of her days sitting on the deck he never finished. When the family runs out of money, Virginia packs up her children and moves to Virigina to live with her sister.