Virginia A. Craig

Virginia 'Twiggy' (Terranova) Craig passed peacefully on April 15th, 2026 surrounded by her family in her home at the age of 93.
Virginia went by many names—Twiggy, V, Mom, Ma, Aunt Gin, Ginny, Grandma, and most recently (and perhaps most coveted) - Gigi. It did not matter which version of Virginia you knew or loved best, she was the joy in any room she walked into.
She was born in Westerly, Rhode Island to Frank and Immaculata (Ritacco) Terranova on August 16th, 1932. She was one of eight children in the Terranova household - and often recounted the chaos of her childhood fondly. Virginia attended and graduated from Westerly High School in 1950, where she met her best friend of 84 years - Amelia (Millie) Prachniak. The two of them were inseparable from their very first meeting in 1940 until Millie's passing in 2024. We have no doubt that their reunion has been sweet, and that the two of them are already back to their old shenanigans.
It was while out dancing with Millie at the Knickerbocker Café that Virginia met her husband, Augustus (Gus) Craig. That first dance was the beginning to a lifetime of love for the two of them, and the start to the Craig family legacy.
Virginia is survived by her three children - Augustus Craig Jr & Lisa Smith and daughters Emily & Erin Craig; Laura Zeppieri & Wayne Chapman and children Allison, Matt (& Julia), Tim, Chris (& Katie) Zeppieri; Diane & Jon Kodama and children Mari Kodama Austin (& Mark), Tommy & Hunter Kodama; grandchildren Caroline (& Aiden) Savage & Ian and Anna Craig; great grandchildren Greyson & Leilani Austin & Elliana Zeppieri; and sister in law Roberta Terranova, along with many nieces, nephews, family and countless friends.
She was predeceased by her son, William (Billy) Craig and we know that she patiently waited nearly 11 years to embrace him again. In addition to her son, Virginia was predeceased by her husband Augustus Craig Sr, her parents Frank and Immaculata (Ritacco) Terranova, her brothers John, Roland, Frank and Joseph Terranova, and her sisters Bomina Severns, Rita Morgan and Florence Capizzano.
Virginia is remembered fondly by all who knew her - her home was always open, and many recall their favorite memories of her as the 'Mystic Island Summers' where Virginia and Gus were caretakers of Ram (Mystic) Island. For eleven summers, the family lived out on the Island, and Twiggy wrangled children and beachgoers alike. She would man the CB radio, waiting to hear "Breaker Breaker, are you out there Twiggy?" from Gus, signaling he was leaving work and needed to be picked up by boat. She would sleep next to the 'Restaurant' to keep those wild kids in line and make sure everyone had a fun (but not too fun) summer vacation. Virginia would talk about these summers as some of the best times of her life. In recent years, she loved to recount these stories while cruising on the Emerin and gazing over the island.
On Sundays, after mass at St. Mary's, Virginia dedicated herself to preparing for dinner. Sunday dinners at the Craig home were a symbol of her love and the love everyone had for her. She would cook enough spaghetti to feed an army, just to be sure she had enough for whoever walked through the door. She would claim all guests were equal, but we all know she saved a very special seat for Father Perkins. She supervised the cooking of spaghetti until the last week of her life, and her grandchildren have held onto the recipe - with the promise of many more Sunday Dinners to come.
Virginia "Twiggy" Craig was happiest surrounded by her family, listening to Il Volo, dancing to Elvis and the Mavericks, cooking spaghetti, or relaxing outside soaking up the sun. We hope she finds these joys and more in the next life and will miss her dearly here.
For those who knew Virginia, we are sorry for your loss. For those who didn't, we are sorry you missed the chance to share in her sparkle. The Queen of Mystic Island has left the building. We are continuing to celebrate the memories and love that was Virginia's life and welcome everyone to share many more stories and laughs. Dance tributes are encouraged, and we hope you allow the music to consume you in the way she always admitted it consumed her.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, April 22nd from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at the Mystic Funeral Home located on Route 1 in Mystic. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Thursday, April 23rd at 11:00 am at St. Mary Church 22 Broad St. Stonington. Following the Mass, she will be buried at the Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic.