Update: Celebration of Life for Virginia F Hand

Virginia F. Hand, of Chesterton, affectionately known as Gegers, by friends and family, died Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004 at her home. She was 86.

A Celebration of her Life will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 21 at White-Love Funeral Home, 525 S. 2nd St., Chesterton.

Posted 5/19/2005

Virginia F. Hand, of Chesterton, affectionately known as Gegers, by friends and family, died Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004 at home. She was 86.

She was born July 4, 1918 in a horse-drawn buggy on the way to the hospital in Charles City, Iowa, the daughter of Morris and Lillian (Larson) Fussell, both of whom preceded her in death.

On Sept. 23, 1944 in Evanston, Ill., she married William J. Hand M.D., who preceded her in death May 21, 1985.

She is survived by a son, William (Margaret) of Elm Grove, Wis.; a daughter, Susan (Drew) Barry of Chesterton; four grandchildren, Helen Virginia and William Morris Hand of Elm Grove, Wis.; Seth Isaac and Gage Grayson Barry of Chesterton; a sister, Margaret (Robert) Olberg of San Diego, Calif; a niece, Diane Berry of Escondido, Calif.; a nephew, Robert (Andrea) Olberg of Schenectady, N.Y.; 2 grand nieces; one grand nephew; one great-grand niece and her beloved dogs, Gizmo and Teddy.

She was a graduate of Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa and Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago in 1941. She has worked in nursing on and off for over 30 years doing hospital, private duty and school nursing as well as volunteer work at the Crippled Children’s Clinic and until recently, the Open Door Clinic in Michigan City.

She also did volunteer work at Long Beach School and Chesterton Montessori School. She was also extremely active in PTA at Eisenhower Grade School in South Holland, Ill., while her children attended.

After her husband died and with her nursing background, she began baby sitting for at-risk babies. Soon she was baby-sitting for friends of those families and her “babies,” now in college or married.

She has been a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood for over 40 years and presently belongs to chapter DF of Michigan City.

She loved to travel. She visited Austria, Hawaii, Alaska and Indonesia with her husband; New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and Norway with friends and with children and grandchildren visited the Grand Canyon, Panama Canal, South America, Tahiti, Greece, Italy, Turkey and Spain.

Her life revolved around her children and grandchildren. She was a permanent fixture at soccer games in the park or swim meets from Indiana to Alabama. She was her grandchildren’s biggest fan.

There will be no visitation. Cremation is planned with a memorial service in the spring.

Memorials may be made to the Open Door Clinic or the Humane Society.

Arrangements are under the direction of White-Love Funeral Home.

Posted 11/30/2004