Virginia A. Symmes

1929 - 2020

Virginia "Ginny" A. (Wells) Symmes of Marblehead, MA died peacefully on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at the age of 90 after having recovered from Covid-19. Ginny is survived by her husband, Richard "Dick" P. Symmes, her children, Constance "Connie" A. Ross (Lawrence) of Marblehead, Wendy S. Mayer (Jeff) of Swampscott, and Meredith "Merry" M. Tufts (Dana) of Marblehead. She is also survived by a close sister, Sarah "Sally" R. Faulks (Robert) of Tonawanda, NY, her youngest brother, William A. Wells Jr. (Bonnie) of Clarence Center, NY, and a former sister-in-law, Carol Dombrowski (Chet) of Getzville, NY. She was preceded in death by both of her parents, William A. and Gertrude (Ring) Wells, a sister, Martha (Wells) Galbo of Buffalo, NY, a nephew, Steven Galbo, and a niece, Donna (Galbo) (Russell) L. Hoffmann. Ginny was born in September 10, 1929 in Syracuse, NY. She graduated from Kenmore High School in 1947 and, shortly thereafter, traveled by train to Boston, MA where she attended and graduated from Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School. She married Dick in 1950, and they lived for a time with her father-in-law, the late Harold P. Symmes. Throughout the first decade of the 50s, the couple welcomed three daughters into their home which was first in Swampscott, then then, in 1963, in their beloved town of Marblehead. During the busy parenting years in Marblehead, Girl Scouting was very popular. As a volunteer and a Mom, Ginny taught her daughters and her Junior Scouts to cook, and she helped facilitate the earning of many badges. As her girls went on to be Cadettes, Ginny became a very popular Girl Scout Leader in town. Her troop was THE ONE to be in, and she had help from her friends and fellow Moms; Carolyn Hoitt, Helen Fuller, Becky Robinson, Carol Collins, Helen Sweet, and many others. Girl Scout Camp trips to Cape Cod, Muscatawa, and closer to home, Camp Shore Lea, and Cedar Hill were especially notable. Ginnys "Scouts" were all separated into smaller groups, and each group had their own supplies which they were responsible for, and duties to attend to- this taught all of them that each group was a cog in the wheel, and by working together, they could all make the wheel turn smoothly. Bigger trips to New York City, Washington, D.C. and Ottawa, Canada made such wonderful memories for all. Throughout her daughters childhood, their lives were filled with the joy of travel, the wonderful friendships through Scouting, and her commitment to bettering the experiences of her children and other children as well. Ginny knew shorthand, was an accomplished typist, and as the years went on she worked typing manuscripts and reports for many individuals, most notably, a local engineer, the late Alexander "Sandy" Mac" McPherson. She was a stay-at-home-but-WORKING-Mom, typing and proofreading when time allowed. In the late 90s, she worked in the Tax Collectors office, but soon found herself with another job ("her dream job") at the Abbot Public Library. Retiring from there in 2015 at the age of 85, she steadfastly remained a library volunteer, pretty much keeping her regular working hours until she was 89. A true "Header", she energetically volunteered for the 350th Anniversary of Marblehead from 1998 to 1999. She was a very active, loyal and dedicated member of the First Church in Swampscott where she served on many boards and was a member of the choir. Along with her husband Dick, Ginny worked tirelessly at the church and for Habitat for Humanity annual fairs, and she was also a volunteer at My Brothers Table. A longtime member of the Tedesco Country Club, she golfed both socially and competitively. Ginny was a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a niece, a wife, a Mom, an aunt, a grandmother, a volunteer, a badminton player, a knitter, a sewer, a golfer, a bridge player, a piano player, an avid reader, a true friend, and a loyal neighbor. She and her Mother in Buffalo (hand) wrote letters to each other twice a week from 1947 to when her Mom died in the early 90s. Most recently, Ginny embraced the art of emailing. He email address book includes both classmates from high school, young and old church members, and her beloved grandchidlren. Above anything else, Ginny loved her family. Her husband Dick- well, they were very different people, but they lived a life of love for each other and their daughters, lots of laughter, Church on Sunday, steadfast friends, and a ship shape house and garden! Ginny was especially proud of each of her grandchildren; Bethany A. Ross (Anthony Murphy), Bradford W. Tufts (Laura), Kimberly M. (Ross) Kramer (Alexander), Carly S. (Rockstroh) Mitchell (Art), Jillian E. (Tufts) Lewis (Stephen), and Roger P. Tufts (Jennifer); her step-grandchildren, Lawrence E. Chip Ross (Kimberly) and Kimberly (Mayer) Duhanyan (Sako); her great-grandchildren, Kiley E. Lewis, Maxwell J. O. Murphy, Adeline P, Tufts, Harper S. Lewis, Quinlan J.E. Murphy, John (Jack) E. Tufts, Madeline S. Mitchell, and Peter L. Kramer; and her four step-great-grandchildren, Courtney A. E., and Lauren T. Ross, and Brayden and Olivia R. Duhanyan. She also leaves many nieces and nephews, and their children, and a much loved German granddaughter, Annike B. (Hueske) Henrix (Marcel), and their children, Hanno and Ella Henrix. Ginnys friends of many years, Sue and Dick Murray, Barbara and Art Townsend, Becky and Fred Robinson, Priscilla and Don Fullerton, Carolyn and Bruce Hoitt, Nancy and Don Durkee, Marilyn Stackhouse, her many work, bridge, and church friends, and her roommate from Katherine Gibbs School, Lorraine Keane, gave her countless moments of joy and laughter. FROM HER DAUGHTERS We will miss, yes, MISS her phone calls. We will miss, yes, MISS her invites to (our) church on Sunday. And we will especially miss how much she truly cared to hear our news, our woes, our struggles, and our triumphs. "Is there ANYTHING I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?" God Speed, Mom, We Love You Always. The family would like to thank Right at Home for their care and for sending us the best help in Enovis. We would like to thank Amani and Nikki as well. Mom spent the last months of her life at the Jesmond Nursing Home in Nahant and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their loving care especially during the Civid-19 pandemic and for being Moms family when we could not be there for her. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to First Church in Swampscott, 40 Monument Avenue, Swampscott, MA 01907, My Brothers Table, 98 Willow Street, Lynn, MA 01901 or the Abbot Public Library, 235 Pleasant Street, Marblehead, MA 01945. Arrangements by the SOLIMINE FUNERAL HOME, Lynn. Relatives and friends are encouraged to leave a message of condolence for the family at www.Solimine.com.