By Housatonic Times (7/21/11)

The afternoon of Sunday, July 10, was billed as “Cele­brating a Lifetime of LAFFS (Love, Adventure, Family, Friends, and Service). The occasion was an 85th birth­day celebration for Vir­­ginia (Ginny) Smith of Grove Road. Actually her birth­­date is Oct. 26, but Ginny’s brother, Mike and his wife, Joan, were here from California for his 50th high school class reunion. As folks came in, they greeted Ginny, resplendent in a pretty outfit with a corsage of lavender roses and baby’s breath, and she was thoroughly enjoying every minute of her party.

Pastor Marion Hubbard of the Gaylordsville United Methodist Church, of which Ginny is a long-time member, gave an opening blessing and shared some of her memories of her friendship with Ginny. Daughter, Debbie Smith, gave a brief history of her mother’s life, including growing up in the Merwinsville Ho­­tel, graduating from the Bridge­port School of Nursing, her marriage to Elwin Smith in 1949 and the young couples’ move to upstate New York until their return here in 1954 when they built a home on Grove Road in Gaylordsville. Between Ginny and Elwin, or “Al” as he was known, they served as treasurer or secretary of various org­anizations, including the Gay­­­lordsville Volunteer Fire Department, the Merwins­ville Hotel, the Wemanesa Grange, and the Gaylordsville United Methodist Church. They had three other daughters, Marcia, Joann, and Carol and their Grove Road home was the center of many picnics and social gatherings over the years.

Ginny’s brother, Michael and his wife, moved to Cali­fornia in 1969, and Debbie in 1970. In the mid-1990s Elwin Smith passed away.

Debbie recognized her mother’s Home Health Aides, known to Ginny as “her girls,” and said they contributed so much to her mother’s sense of well being and enabled her to remain in her own home. Although Ginny has had several heart operations, Debbie said in a heartfelt way that her mother had a gigantic heart and was always there for everybody. Alice Krosky, Ginny’s cousin, shared mo­­ments of their growing up together, from staying at the Merwinsville Hotel, walking on the railroad tracks and going down to the river for a swim, and the many picnics that Ginny and Al hosted at their home.

Lowell Hendrix spoke of his friendship with Ginny and about attending our Red Schoolhouse when Ginny was a student there, and “hang­­­ing around” at the old Honan’s store on the corner of Riverview and South Kent roads. Lowell remembered that he sometimes went to the Merwinsville to babysit for Michael Hastings, and as they lived next to the railroad tracks, when the train came through at night, the building would shake.

He also said he knew her parents very well, and remembered her father, Jim, as a “happy-go-lucky Irishman,” and her mother, Nora, as “just a great person.” Florence Forbes, Vicky Noble, Emmy Parker, and Ellie Sterry from the Gaylordsville United Meth­­­odist Church Ladies Group remembered Ginny’s var­­ious jobs in the group: serving as both secretary and treasurer, being in charge of the church turkey suppers, including the job of mailing out at least 300 post cards telling people the date, etc. of the supper, and handling all the publicity for the event. And, if that was not enough, she took tickets at the door!

Ginny prepared scrapbooks of interesting pictures and post­­cards for over 10 years and these were placed in doc­­tors’ offices and nursing homes for people to enjoy. Gin­­ny and Al were in charge of the Gaylordsville Unit­­ed Methodist Church Com­munity Calendar for many years. The ladies said that Ginny was known as the “Queen of Plastic Canvas,” making colorful pictures, Christmas ornaments, tissue boxes, bedside crosses and other items. She went on to create small gift boxes, using greeting cards and always made sure there was a lovely picture on the exact top of the box, as well as little gift houses made of the same greeting cards.

Some of these were on display on a table, along with a photo array of Ginny’s life from babyhood, nursing school, marriage, and family life.

Ginny would gather up li­­nen tablecloths and there would be real china and silverware and table decorations for a buffet table after a funeral service at the church. The Ladies Group took on this activity for several years, thus enabling the family of the deceased to mingle with the funeral guests. As time went on and health declined, regretfully this activity ceased.

Cathy Reynolds recalled her familial relationship on her husband, Jim Reynolds’ side, to the Hastings clan, and gave a beautiful rendition of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.” Throughout the afternoon Don Salvatore played the banjo and sang several of Ginny’s favorite songs,. Words to the songs were projected on the wall so all could join in.

Joan Eskes, Debbie Smith’s partner, sang a song she composed about Ginny’s life, to the tune of “On Top Of Spaghetti.” And there was the Surprise Guest: Amy Whitcomb, chaplain of the Connecticut State Grange, recalling that Ginny and Al had started her on her grange career. She gave a synopsis of Ginny’s grange membership and told of the various offices she held.

Amy presented Ginny with her 65-year pin as recognition of her long-standing Grange membership. Ginny’s brother, Mike, spoke about their life together, recalling the loving care she had given to their very ill father before he passed away. He was in the Navy at that time. He concluded his memories by reading the traditional Irish Blessing,.

There was a fine array of sandwiches and salads and as the afternoon progressed, cake was served, the cake being purple, of course—Ginny’s favorite color. On every table was a pot of pur­­­ple petunias that were raffled off. Don Salvatore concluded the event with a rousing chorus of “So Long, Farewell.”

A good time was had by all. It was a lovely party for a lovely lady.

Family members attending in addition to those already mentioned were John Jennings, Marcia’s husband, Art McDeed, Joann’s husband, and Peter Thomas, Carol’s husband, and their respective families.