Virginia May Gardner

VIRGINIA MAY
(CHAMPION)
GARDNER
ODESSA - Virginia May (Champion) Gardner, 71, formerly of Grover Rd., Odessa, NY passed away peacefully at St. Joseph's SNF in Elmira, NY early Saturday Morning, September 20, 2008. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Graveside Memorial service on Sat., Sept. 27, 2008, at 2 p.m. at the Union Cemetery of Hector in Burdett, NY, immediately following. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her wake, place and time to be announced at the Memorial Service. The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Mayo Clinic's Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Fund, Dept. of Development, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905 in memory of Virginia Gardner; or make a secure gift online at www.mayoclinic.org/futureofmedicine and click on "make a gift now", fill out the contribution form and for the gift designation just select "other" and type "Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Fund".
Virginia "Ginny" is survived by her five children, Cynthia (Rick), Ernest, Susan, Mark (Deb), and Gregory (Marleen); nine grandchildren, Crystal (Alan), Ryan, Russell (Jessica), Roy (Amber), Erica (Jason), Zachary (Gina), Damien, Adam, and Sara; seven great-grandchildren, Owen, Alex, Madelyn, Kaili, Lily, Jaden and Ava; sisters, Pat (Ed) Grover, Laverna (Ronald) Swinehart, Ellen (Harry) Simpson, and Henrietta (David) Quick; brother, Gary Champion; sister-in-law, Joyce Gardner; brother-in-law, John Cornish; brother-in-law, George Sontag; and MANY nieces, nephew, and close friends. Virginia was predeceased by her parents, Everett and Erva Champion; sister, Mary Smith; and her husband of 47 years, Roland "Snuffy" Gardner. Virginia was a very strong, loving, caring, honest soul that left her mark on everyone she came in contact with. She was an inspiration to many for fighting everyday to carry on with the very crippling and painful disease of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Ginny loved to be a part of whatever was going on. She loved to fish, sit outside on nice days, and just be in the company of others, especially her family and friends. Ginny was always joking around with people and brought a lot of humor into others lives; many said she had a lot of "spunk". She often spoke of how she loved to work and had worked for many years before becoming disabled with RA around the age of 30. Ginny was someone special to everyone she touched; a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt and friend. The world will not be the same without her but she is now pain free in heaven. She was very loved and will be extremely missed. Arrangements are under the direction of Vedder and Scott Funeral Home, Montour Falls, NY.