Virginia Lee "Ginny" Capasso

Virginia Lee "Ginny" Capasso

May 26, 1927 - Feb. 8, 2024

FAIRBURY/CHENOA - Virginia Lee "Ginny" (Parry) Capasso of Fairview Haven Care Center, Fairbury, formerly of 909 Warren Street, Chenoa, passed away at 1:35 AM on February 8, 2024. She was 96.

Her visitation will be at Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Chenoa, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. Her funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM the following day at the Christ Community Church (formerly the First United Presbyterian Church) of Chenoa, with Pastor Tim Huber officiating.

Ginny was born at home in Chenoa on May 26, 1927, to Charles William and Beryl Eva (Dunn) Parry, natives of Cass County, IL. She met New Yorker John A. Capasso while they both attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, and the couple were wed on August 10, 1952. After a time in Jeffersonville, IN, they returned to Ginny's hometown of Chenoa, to join the business her father had started three decades earlier, the C. W. Parry & Son Grain Company. They remained in Chenoa until John's death on December 1, 2011, and her entry into Fairview Haven the following year.

A 1945 Chenoa High School graduate, she earned a bachelor's degree in vocal music at IWU in 1949, performing in numerous programs and recitals during her time there, and actively participating in the Sigma Alpha Iota sorority. The high point of her college experience was her appearance as "Marguerite" in IWU's opera Faust, the first opera performed in the twin cities cast entirely with local talent. She continued her voice studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, completing a master's degree in 1950. She taught voice students at Drake University, Des Moines, IA; at her alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan; and privately in her home. She conducted the Chenoa Presbyterian Church and Chenoa community choirs, performed in the American Passion Play choir, and regaled numerous gatherings in the area with her lilting soprano over the next several decades.

She was a talented musician, to be sure, but even a better mom. Her survivors include her three children: daughter, Cathy (Daniel) Baird, Austin, TX; and sons: John C. (Jean-Marie) and Jeffrey Capasso, both of Normal. She leaves two granddaughters: Holly (Nathan) Paulus and Heather (Wes) Stayton, both of Austin; and one great-grandson, Ethan John Paulus. She is also survived by a niece, Karen (Parry) Wills, and a grandnephew, James Wills, both of Largo, FL.

Besides her husband, John, she was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, C. Merle Parry; and her sister-in-law, Carolyn (Winter) Parry.

Ginny was truly beloved by those closest to her, and her absence will always be keenly felt. Her family wishes to thank the Fairview Haven administration and staff for more than a dozen years of care and kindness. She could not have been in better hands. To maintain the Center's high level of service, the family encourages charitable contributions to the Fairview Haven Good Samaritan Fund.