Webster, NY : Ginny was born in Pittsburgh, PA, on February 7, 1923 and passed away on April 6, 2020 at the age of 97. She is predeceased by Charles (Chuck), her husband of 58 years, as well as her parents, brothers and sisters. She is survived by eight children: Marc (Marilyn), Palmer, AK; Deborah (Thomas) Kadlubowski, Hilton, NY; Laurel (David) Weeks, Klamath Falls, OR; Craig (Janice), Barrington, RI; Beth (Carlos) Blanco, Tuxedo Park, NY; Paul (Partner Rosa), Churchville, NY; Philip (Ginny), Merry Hill, NC; and Heidi, Raymond, ME. She has seventeen grandchildren: Eric and Kara Van Dongen, Alaina (Mark) Olivieri, Ryan (Jenn) Kadlubowski, Eliot (Olga) Weeks, Colin Weeks, Dan (Marianne) Van Dongen, Monica (Tim) Riegert, Marisa and Nicolas Blanco, Rachel, Gregory and Kevin Van Dongen, Matthew and Kimberly Van Dongen, and Evan and Austin Bergeron; and twelve great-grandchildren: Luca, Julian, Janina, Amalia and Stella Olivieri, Heidi and Alexis Lara, Jacob and Justin Danny Weeks, Jameson and Maxwell Riegert and Madeline Kadlubowski.
During WWII, Ginny enlisted in the United States Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, known as the SPARS, attended Radio School in Atlantic City, NJ for 5 months, and was then sent to Port Angeles, Washington. As a radioman third class, she used teletype and Morse Code to relay messages to aircraft and ships in the vicinity. In May of 2017 she and daughter Beth flew from Rochester to Washington, DC, on an Honor Flight for Veterans.
Ginny’s dream of going to college finally came about when she was sixty years old. Attending on a part time basis, in 1990 she completed her studies at Brockport College in five years and graduated Magna Cum Laude with two bachelor degrees, one in Earth Science and the other in Liberal Arts. She was proud of that accomplishment, as well as her perfect attendance record!
She loved to travel and visited China, Australia, Africa, Europe, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Greece, Patagonia, the upper Amazon, and the Galapagos Islands, among others. She loved the water, boating and fishing, and the family spent many summers on vacation on a number of lakes in Canada.
The family grew up in Greece, New York, in a ranch home that Chuck built. After raising their family and traveling, she and Chuck decided to live in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountain area. They moved to Connestee Falls, NC, eventually building a lovely home in Brevard, NC. Chuck passed away in May of 2004, and when Ginny developed medical issues, she decided to move back to Rochester. In October 2014, she settled into a two-bedroom apartment on the campus of St. Ann’s Community at Cherry Ridge in Webster. She remained at St. Ann’s until her death on April 6th.
A special thank you to the staff at Cherry Ridge for their compassionate care the last few months of her life.
Due to the current situation, a service to celebrate her life will be delayed. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in her memory to St. Ann’s Star Program, 1500 Portland Avenue, Rochester, NY 14621, or the Alzheimer’s Association, Rochester and Finger Lakes Region, 435 E. Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14620.
Interment will take place in Brevard, NC, at the convenience of the family.