Obituary of Virginia B. Francis

Virginia Pearl Bare Francis, of Clinton, NY, died on September 30, 2014. She was born in Philadelphia, PA on March 23, 1926 to Bruce Maurice Bare and Pearl DeEtta (Breegle) Bare. They named her after the legendary first English child born in the colonies, Virginia Dare. She attended schools in Wilmington, Delaware and Washington, DC. Each summer was spent in Scottsdale, PA with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. During her high school and college summers she was employed by Washington's premier department store, Woodward and Lothrup, where she worked in the sweater department and remembers waiting on Princess Margaret of Norway. Following in the tradition of her older sister and sister-in-law she graduated from Hood College, Frederick, MD in 1948. She regularly attended reunions on campus and kept in touch with her "crowd" often through Round Robin letters which still circulate today. After college she moved to Clinton, NY where her parents had recently settled. She was briefly employed as a geriatric social worker before she married local dentist James L. Francis on May 21, 1949 at the Stone Presbyterian Church. They lived at 5 Elm Street for 34 years and raised four children. Ginny was active in community activities - March of Dimes, Whist Club, Mothers' Club, Girl Scouts, Friends of the Lutheran and Martin Luther Homes, Kirkland Bird Club - and served as both a Deacon and Elder at Stone Presbyterian Church. Family summers were spent at camp in the Adirondacks. In 1983 she encouraged Jim to follow his dream of building an active solar house on Harding Road and they moved out of the village. After he retired from dentistry they planned a yearly Audubon or Elderhostel nature trip somewhere in the United States or beyond. One year they discovered Sanibel Island, Florida and made repeat winter trips there where Ginny loved to stroll the beaches looking for shells. Surviving are one son, Griff, and three daughters, Anne, Gwen (Paul), and Betsy (Kyle); five grandchildren, Matthew, Meghan, Zachary, Sarah, Nathan; and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Stone Presbyterian Church at 10 am on Friday, October 10. The family invites all to a reception afterward. Arrangements are by Owens-Pavlot & Rogers Funeral Service, Inc., Clinton. Memorial donations may be made to the Kirkland Town Library or Hood College.