VIRGINIA SOUTHWICK BRIGHT

1918 - 2017

BRIGHT, Virginia Southwick Died peacefully on Friday, January 20, 2017 under the wonderful care of the Seasons of Danvers staff and the Beacon Hospice dedicated workers. Virginia was born in Boston on July 12, 1918 to Evelyn Florence Millett and Charles Edward Bright. As a child, Virginia lived in Roslindale, near the Arnold Arboretum. She recalled, "Dad was fun. I had an enchanted childhood. I remember him giving me broomsticks to use as ski poles and loving the wind blowing through my hair when I was skiing." Those makeshift poles and the Arnold Arboretum outings led to a lifetime of ski adventures-many with the Boston YMCA-to ski areas throughout New England.

Virginia credits her parents for fostering her passion for photography, and remembers the box cameras they used to take pictures of everything. As an adult, she took every opportunity to travel, always with a camera in hand. "I traveled all through the United States before I went to Asian and Europe. I visited places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite's Half Dome." When her friends couldn't go, Virginia went anyway, saying, "Sometimes it's better to travel alone because you meet more people."

Virginia described herself as a "career gal". Her junior high and high school newspaper work peeked her interest in journalism, and motivated her to pursue further news-writing expertise at Simmons College. She says "I was hired as a temporary feature writer at the Boston Globe. That temporary job lasted 41 years! I liked just about everything about it!"

Virginia's openness to new places, new people and new things was readily apparent to all who crossed her path at Allerton House in Hingham, Brookdale in Danvers and Seasons of Danvers. Her intellectual curiosity was strong and she always greeted new opportunities with a smile.

Virginia will be missed by family members Anne Millett, Wendy and Frederick Manninen from Magnolia, MA; Dan, Lisa and Maya Holden from Framingham, MA; Amanda, Jason, Holden and Baxter Giguere from Longmont, CO; Derek, Amanda and Brady Holden from Denver, CO and Andrew Holden from Charlestown, MA.

Virginia leaves many wonderful friends from the Boston Globe, Allerton House in Hingham as well as neighbors from Hingham who have always treated her as family.

There will be a private graveside service Friday, January 27 at 12 noon at Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, where she will be buried at the family grave.

Boston Harborside Home Of

J.S. Waterman-Langone

617-536-4110