Virginia "Gina" Marie Martin

Cherished wife of Jeff Hines; loving sister to Terry (Joe Ann), Janet (Steve), Gail (Bill) and Paul (Mary Ellen); dear daughter in law to Willo Hines, sister in law to Richard (Lyn) and Leslie (Peter); proud aunt to many nieces and nephews and devoted friend to many. Visitation was on Sunday, June 3 at the Jerrett Funeral Home, North York Chapel, 6191 Yonge Street (2 lights south of Steeles), Toronto. Funeral Service took place in the Chapel on Monday, June 4 at 11:00 a.m. Cremation.Virginia Marie Martin died on May 30,2007.

Eulogy - Gina Martin, June 4, 2007.

Welcome everybody & thank you for coming here today to celebrate the life of Gina Martin. I am her brother Terry, and I have been given the honour of speaking about Gina on behalf of those who love her.

Gina was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, on July 4, 1960. She was named Virginia Marie Martin but we always called her Gina. She was very small at birth weighing only 2 pounds. In fact she was so small that when she finally came home from the hospital, no crib was suitable and she had to sleep in a dresser drawer.

As she grew up Gina had many accomplishments. She graduated from Westpark High School in St. Catharines. She then went on to graduate from Ryerson University in Toronto with two degrees.

When Gina went out into the work world, she started her own business making gift baskets. She was very proud of the fact that one of her baskets was presented to Princess Anne at the Royal Winter Fair in 1988. Gina finished her career working in the Ontario Government.

Our family emigrated from Wales before Gina was born. Even though she was Canadian, she was extremely proud of her Welsh heritage. So just for you Gina, I say to everyone here, "bore da". Which means, good morning, I hope.

If you knew Gina, you knew that she was all about family. She and Jeff were the ones who started the annual Christmas family gatherings. One for the Martin family and one for the Hines family. She had the ability to bring people together and taught us the meaning of family.

Everywhere we look, there are reminders of Gina. She had such a big impact on our lives. I would like to share some family memories with you:

Husband Jeff: Jeff met Gina at Ryerson and he says that he doesn't have any memories that do not include her. Gina loved to travel while Jeff would have preferred just to stay at home. But Gina's enthusiasm won out and Jeff found himself going on a Cruise, a trip to the Dominican Republic and to Europe. Because of Gina he found that he liked to travel very much.

- They were always together. They loved to go to St. Jacobs and Niagara on the Lake. On Remembrance Day they would go to Kitchener to visit Jeff's Dad and his veteran comrades. Even after Jeff's Dad passed away in 1994, they continued to visit their veteran friends.

- They are also the proud godparents of Jeff's niece Anna.

- Jeff also remebers when his brother Rick retired from the MTO. His pension cheques did not start right away and were months late. Rick called Gina for some advice and she said "leave it to me", and the cheques started the very next month.

Sister Gail & her husband Bill: Gail has this message for Gina-

"My Gina, Gina Bobina. I started nearly every day singing that to you on the phone. I once told you, if I could carry all or part of your burden, I would. The other night I told you, if I could go on your journey with you, I would. But, I cannot. Bill, and the rest of the family need me. Our journey here together was nothing short of a miracle. Not many people have a sisterly love like we have. I will never forget the look on your face when we got on those camels in Egypt, and when we went on the Nile River cruise - what a great experience to share together. Thanks to you I am Mrs. Bill Martens. Poor Bill, he didn't know that his life was mapped out once you and I made up our minds that we wanted him. You, Jeff, Bill and I always had a lot of fun and spent wonderful times together. Thank you for being in my life, for letting me into yours. I love you now and always. I started every day talking to you on the phone and I will keep on talking to you every day. Stay safe, and warm with Mom and Dad. I will talk to you tomorrow".

Brother Paul & his Wife Mary-Ellen: Gina always reminded Paul of Mom, her smile that would light up a room. Gina was fanatical about watching Coronation street and she would not take any phone calls during the show. Paul being Paul, he loved calling when it was on. Recently Paul got a tattoo displaying Gina's name on his arm and he will always remember the look of happiness on her face when he first showed it to her. He loved the year that he and Gina rowed together on the same crew. He remembers when as a young lad he got strapped at school for fighting. Gina came home and promptly told Dad and Paul got strapped all over again!

Terry and his wife Joe Ann: We remember the time that Gina came to visit shortly after we were married. Joe Ann tried her first attempt at making chicken soup. It was so weak that I said it tasted like a chicken walked through a pot of water with rubber boots on. Gina took it all in stride and just ate it without complaint. Gina was such an organized person when it came to parties and events. This prompted us to ask her and Jeff to be in charge of the reception at out daughter's wedding. We were not disappointed, especially when they showed up with clipboards and walkie talkies.

Janet & her husband Steve: Janet's nick name for Gina was "my little peanut" which always brought a smile to Gina's face.

- Janet recalls a trip that she, Gina and mom took to Hawaii quite a while ago. They had gotten on an air mattress and floated fairly far from the shore. To their horror they discovered that the mattress was leaking air! Half panicking and half laughing, they took turns trying to blow it up while the other two paddled frantically for shore.

- Janet also remembers that when Gina was 2-3 years old she would get out of the house and after an anxious search she would be found walking up and down Pelham road with her doll. Even so, Janet looked after her at times when mom worked and she was the easiest little girl to care for. Even when she was grown up and sick in the hospital, Gina would ask "will I be OK?". Janet would always tell her, "yes Gina, you will be OK, no matter where you are."

As I said earlier, Gina was very strong on family ties. She loved her nieces and nephews very much. There are two babies expected in July. Gail and Bill's grandchild and Joe Ann and my grandchild, who will be named Olivia Virginia. When it became apparent that Gina was very sick, she was distressed about not being around to see these newborns. It was her and our goal, for her to be able to hold those babies. Unfortunately this was not to be. But we take heart in the conviction that Gina will always be the children's guardian angel.

Thank you to all of Gina's friends, family and colleagues for your support over the years.

It is obvious to all who know him, that Jeff is totally devoted to Gina. This was especially evident during her illness. He lived at the hospital, always looking after her and making sure that she received the best attention possible. His dedication was amazing and on behalf of Gina's family I want to say thank you Jeff for loving our sister.

Gina, it has been a very hard and long road. You fought this disease every step of the way. Even though it pained us very much, we are glad that you gave us the opportunity to share your battle. We are so proud of you.