Virginia J. Wilson Obituary
Virginia “Ginny” J. Wilson passed away peacefully on May 25, 2023. She was born in Newark, NJ March 4, 1931 to Herbert Guettler and Doris (Pitman) Guettler.
She was raised in Adams, MA and in high school was the head majorette, baton twirler and Pro Merito Society honors student. She loved working her summers as a counselor and waterfront director at Bucksteep Manor Camp in the Berkshire Mountains.
Ginny went on to the University of Massachusetts/Amherst where she met her future husband of 63 years, Edward “Ted” S. Wilson, in the marching band. She was the majorette; he was a trumpet player. Even with her active band and Chi Omega sorority life and performances as a member of the UMass Niades synchronized swim team, Ginny still graduated with academic honors with a BA in English.
Ted and Ginny were stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army after getting married and took advantage of every opportunity to see Europe, skiing the Alps, visiting Paris, England and Holland. Once the children came along, she settled into her natural role as matriarch directing everyone in their duties. Ted always said she would have made a great Army First Sergeant.
Ginny filled her life with family, friends, teaching high school English, bridge and volunteering. She was a board member of the local American Red Cross and Friends of the Library, a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Trainer, U.S. swimming Committee Official, election volunteer, blood drive volunteer, patient services volunteer for Mercer Health Hospital, makeup artist for Ted’s barbershop chorus “The Sound Waves” annual performance, and of course a volunteer at her beloved Senior Center garage sale. As a breast cancer survivor, she showed her support of breast cancer awareness by participating in the Relay for Life.
Ever the social butterfly, Ginny loved her Secret Senile Sisters, the Tulip Bunch, her duplicate bridge group the Dirty Dozen, and her neighbors. In her final years, she was surrounded with love and support from her “Ladies” who assisted her in living her best life and keeping her in the know of all the local happenings.
Throughout her life, Ginny always took an active role in her community. She started an annual Christmas Eve luminaria tradition the 1970’s when her family lived in Worthington, that lit up over 14,000 candles along all the neighborhood streets. Long before it was trendy, she decorated her front porch at Halloween to look like a witch’s den that brave children had to enter to receive their candy.
Her favorite prayer was one that was said every day at the school where she first taught. She thought the prayer “said it all” and she lived her life accordingly.
A PRAYER FOR BOYS
O God, give me clean hands, clean words, and clean thoughts. Help me to stand for the hard right against the easy wrong. Save me from habits that harm; teach me to work as hard and play as fairly in thy sight alone as if all the world saw. Forgive me when I am unkind to others and help me to forgive those who are unkind to me. Send me chances to do a little good every day and so live a life that is useful.
Ginny is survived by her children Todd (Carel), Dale (Linda), Andrea (John), Lee (Linda), grandchildren Samantha, Mathew, Jake, Rachel and great grandchildren Mason and Lucy.
The family will be holding a private memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider sending donations in memory of Virginia Wilson to:
EverHeart Hospice
1350 N. Broadway St.
Greenville, OH 45331
Cisco Funeral Homes of Celina & St. Marys are honored to care for Ginny and her family. To pay respects and to leave online condolences or memories, visit www.ciscofuneralhome.com or Cisco Funeral Home Facebook page.
Published by Cisco Funeral Home – Celina on May 26, 2023.