Virginia Wall, 93
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Virginia "Ginger" Wall, 93, of Williamstown died Thursday, March 19, 2009.
Born in Adams on Feb. 29, 1916, to Rupert B. and Marjorie Wellington Daniels, she graduated from Skidmore College in 1938 and from Katherine Gibbs School in New York City the following year. In later life, she completed a course of study through the Royal School of Needle Work in London, with a specialization in English crewel work for which she became well known.
Mrs. Wall was active in community groups, including working with the Women's Exchange as member of the Junior League. A college theater major, she designed costumes for local theater productions, a skill which she further honed as a member of the Berkshire Hills Sweet Adelines. A longtime member of the Williamstown Garden Club, she maintained her own beautiful gardens and water lily pond and provided flowers for her church.
She loved glitter, feather boas and stilletto heels. Music was a personal passion and she was a sight to behold on a ballroom dance floor. Her favorite place in town was Phillips Hardware Store, where she searched for gadgets for home repairs and lawn maintenance. She was an avid horsewoman, frequently seen riding on town's pastoral trails with her husband and children.
Family members said she will be remembered for her prodigious energy and enthusiasm, and she exuded a zest for life that was infectious; her antics were legendary.
Her husband, Robert E. Wall of North Adams, whose family owned and operated Wall-Streeter Shoe Co. for more than 50 years, died in 1992. They were married in 1940.
She leaves four daughters, Marjorie Wood and her husband, Harold, of Latham, N.Y., Nancy Thorne of Fairfield, Conn., Patricia Wynkoop and her husband, David, of Annapolis, Md., and Virginia "Jinx" Van Steemburg and her husband, Kurt, of Loudonville, N.Y.; 13 grandchildren who adored their "Gigi," Michael, Karen and Tracy Patrice Wood, Duke, Greg and Brian Thorne, Sarah Thompson, Amy Lyttle, Susan Casper and Cathryn Wynkoop, Peter, Kristin and Skylar Van Steemburg, and four great grandchildren.
She was predeceased by another daughter, Mary Elizabeth, in 1951, and four brothers, R. "Spike" Wellington Daniels, Dixon Daniels, Rupert Daniels and Donald Daniels.
FUNERAL NOTICE — A service in celebration of Mrs. Wall's life will be held on Tuesday, March 24, at 11 from First Congregational Church on Main Street, Williamstown.
To share in the spirit of her abundant life, in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Williamstown Food Pantry, at St. Patrick's Church, Southworth Street, Williamstown. Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, West Chapels, is in charge of arrangements.