Ginger Greenfield

Virginia "Ginger" Ann Greenfield, age 87, of Mt. Vernon, Indiana, died on Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Mt. Vernon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She was born on October 13, 1938, in Evansville, Indiana. Her parents were Anita B. (Crane) Fox and Eugene E. Fox.

She was born in Evansville and lived in Harrisburg, Illinois, until 1952, when her family moved to Evansville. She graduated from Bosse High School in 1956 and attended Evansville College.

Ginger, who was an artist and had a flair for art and décor, worked at Red Spot Paint as a young woman. Later she worked at Roth's Department Store and Lasting Impressions in Mt. Vernon, Indiana. She especially enjoyed decorating the shop windows, writing radio spots, and creating a welcoming experience for customers. A few years before retiring, she worked at The Children's White House Learning and Daycare Center, where she was affectionately known by the children as "Miss Ginger."

Ginger and her husband, Ron, lived for 53 years in a Queen Anne Victorian on College Avenue in Mount Vernon, Indiana. The home was a labor of love and a perfect outlet for Ginger's creativity. Ron worked on the exterior, while Ginger decorated the interior with art, antiques, and an assortment of unique objects. She painted vines of flowers on the walls leading up the staircase and created lush cottage gardens around the home. Ginger's three daughters describe growing up in the "tower house" as magical, saying living there with their parents nurtured their imagination and gave them a deep appreciation for beauty, nature, and art.

In the late 1980s, Ginger converted her daughters' former playroom into a painting studio. Working mainly from her imagination, she created portraits and landscapes in a luminous palette of rich colors applied with loose, flowing brushwork. A joy in the act of painting radiates from her work. Ginger had several public exhibitions. In 2023 she said: "Painting gives me a window into my mind. Most of my subjects are made up or 'dream' people. Often, I do not work from life. I'm interested in capturing emotions. I'm not a realist. My paintings are about self-expression, letting my mind wander, and taking a journey into the unknown. I get lost in color and create a story of my own making. The process is rather magical. I'm fascinated to see what might develop on a canvas. I prefer to work loosely and have fun. Ideas can be playful, surreal, or somber. I am immersed in the moment."

She had a soft spot for animals, especially cats. In addition to caring for her own cats, she noticed homeless cats in her neighborhood and became a caregiver for several feral cat colonies. She provided food, water, and shelter while working with the Posey County Humane Society to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and find homes for the friendly cats. She cared for the feral and stray cats in all kinds of weather, purely out of kindness.

Ginger's daughters remember their mother as loving and fun. When they were children, she would run out during summer rain to splash in puddles with them. She loved taking long nature hikes, studying trees and the sky, taking extensive walks around town in all kinds of weather, dressing up on Halloween, decorating the house for Christmas, and dancing in the kitchen-even teaching them the jitterbug. She was generous with her time and care. They feel they have not only lost their mother, but a best friend.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her infant daughter, Johanna Esther Greenfield; and sister, Barbara Smith. Ron Greenfield, Ginger's husband of 64 years, died on December 9, 2025, 38 days before her own death.

Ginger is survived by her daughters Jennifer (Bud) Vibbert, Jessica (Jerry) Farrell, and Juliana Greenfield, as well as grandchildren Evan Vibbert and Alannah and Ian Farrell, plus many loving nieces and nephews.

The family would like to sincerely thank the staff at the Mt. Vernon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for all their care and love.

A Celebration of Life for Ron and Ginger is being planned for Spring 2026.

In lieu of flowers, donations are gratefully accepted to the NEWLIFE Rescue & Adoption Animal Shelter of Posey County at newliferescues.org or 6500 Leonard Rd. N., Mt. Vernon, IN 47620.