Virginia Luck

Virginia Luck

Newport, NH - On June 13, 1941, Virginia Rae Hodgman, was born at Newport Hospital in Newport, New Hampshire. At that time, the world was blessed with a generous, patient, and selfless person who for the next 84 years would raise a family, share her gifts with friends and strangers, and impact the lives of many. Virginia Rae Luck passed away at her home on September 19, 2025. She grew up on the family dairy farm in Goshen, New Hampshire, with her parents Rae Hodgman Balla and Harold Hodgman, along with her brothers Bruce and Robert Hodgman. She would later marry Frank Robert Luck, Jr, on August 16, 1958, and they would make their home in Newport. Known to many as "Ginny," she graduated from Towle High School in 1958. Ginny had three passions in her life: love of family, a travel spirit, and selfless service to others.

Ginny was predeceased by her husband Frank in 2019. They shared 61 years together, 4 children, 5 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. Her children included Ann O'Clair and her husband Doug O'Clair of Goshen, Robert Luck and his wife Wendy Luck of Newport, Thomas Luck and his wife Kathy Luck of Whitefield, and Christine Downing and her husband David Downing of Goshen. Ginny adored her grandchildren, Melissa Almstrom married to Jeremy Almstrom, Matt O'Clair married to Amy Caswell-O'Clair, Joshua Luck married to Raenee Luck, Terrance Luck married to Diana Luck, and Patrick Colwell. She was very proud of her two great-grandsons, Benjamin and Carson Almstrom. Ginny experienced many changes in the world throughout her 84 years, but her true love was her family. She was known for her many talents in the areas of gardening, bird watching, baking, pickling, knitting, crocheting, jelly and relish making, card stamping, and even an occasional homemade wine making. Her baked beans were a staple for any family event, her homemade peanut butter and chocolate fudge along with baked breads and jellies were favorite Christmas treats, and her customized birthday and anniversary cards will forever be remembered by her family and friends. It is fair to say she was the steadfast keystone to her family through all their achievements and challenges. She was the essence of the family matriarch through her genuine compassion and dedication to her family, friends, and selfless support to others in need.

For over 30 years, Ginny worked in the insurance field as an agent at Gauthier & Woodard Insurance and later at the Insurance Center in Newport. Even days before her passing she would still encounter people, while out shopping in Newport, that would ask her to come back to the insurance world to help them navigate that need. She was a dedicated and professional insurance agent. Ginny also knew how to enjoy life and she did this through a variety of travel adventures. With her husband Frank, she would travel to various NASCAR races throughout the country, always cheering on her favorite driver, #5 Terry Labonte. They went to short tracks and super speedways. In addition, they made vacation trips to Germany to visit Christine and her husband, enjoyed cruises to a variety of destinations, and occasionally Ginny would venture off to other states and countries with her friends. When Ginny was not off seeing new places, she could be found at the Newport Bowling Center on Tuesday nights as a member of the "ladies league." It was through these travels and experiences that Ginny connected to helping others in need.

Ginny combined her talents and travel spirit to support children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions through Victory Junction. This is a year-round camp founded by Kyle Petty and his family in honor of his son Adam. It provides life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a medically-safe environment, always free of charge. For over 25 years, Ginny would make dozens of teddy bears and blankets for the children. Early on Frank and Ginny would drive the donations to North Carolina to visit the camp and take tours. When they could no longer do that, she continued these efforts by pairing up with UPS, who would deliver the items for free. Right up until her passing, she was still knitting the final blanket she was looking to ship in the next few weeks. In addition, Ginny turned her talent for card stamping and making into regular packages to military service members serving overseas. These were just a few of the many ways Ginny always put the needs of others, from family and friends to strangers, above herself. It was this genuine care, selfless nature, patience, and unwavering love that made her so special to anyone that knew and loved her. While her family and the world have lost an incredible human, heaven has truly gained an angel in every sense of that word.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Victory Junction. You can learn more about the camp using this link: https://victoryjunction.org/about-vj/

We hope to continue Ginny's contributions to this very deserving organization.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 from 5 - 7 PM at Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home, 42 Main Street, Newport, NH.