Virginia May

Virginia “Ginny” Catherine (Shultz) May, born November 8, 1924 to Adolph & Grace (Petty) Shultz in Sharonville, Ohio, passed away Friday, December 22, 2023 peacefully at home at the age of 99. She was a 1942 graduate of South High School in Columbus. Two weeks later she married the love of her life, John May. They raised 7 children together in the Southside neighborhood where they grew up across the street from one another. She was a strong, resourceful, and resilient woman of The Greatest Generation.

After moving to Columbus, as a young girl she would go back and visit Sharonville family and friends in the summers and remembered that time fondly. She spent most of her life in the Southside. As a teenager she was named Miss Southside Columbus, was runner up as Miss Central Ohio, and was a cheerleader for the Columbus Redbirds minor league baseball team. That was the beginning of a lifelong love of sports. Her father was a train engineer for the New York Central Railroad, and that afforded her the opportunity to travel the country which she loved to do. She often shared those experiences which included attending the Easter parades in New York City.

She was a stay-at-home mother most of her life and would also help at Hope Lutheran Church in Columbus by setting up wedding receptions and volunteering during Vacation Bible School. Later, when most people would be slowing down, she began working outside the home. She enjoyed being an independent working woman and started working as a secretary for Bill Miller at the American Red Cross in Columbus where she proudly served for more than 10 years. Later in life in Pickerington, Ohio, she worked as Apartment Manager in the office at The Meadows and volunteered in the office at Epiphany Lutheran Church.

Known both as “mom” and “Grandma May”, she had many interests in her life. One was her love of sports. She was especially wild about “her” Cincinnati Reds and The Ohio State Buckeyes: She knew the stats, had her favorites (Joey Votto, Ken Griffey Sr. & Jr., and Pete Rose) and never missed watching or listening to a game: We all knew not to call during a game! She was an avid reader and especially enjoyed auto-biographies and biographies. We were always learning about people’s lives from her reading. She also loved the beach, especially St. Pete Beach in Florida, where she spent many vacations. Victor Newman would appreciate her loyalty to the Young and the Restless over the years, as she never missed watching her soap. Can we say we hope the ratings don’t tank now that she’s gone?

She was very proud that all her children grew up to be good people and that she got to see the people they became. Her rooms were filled with pictures of her family, showing how they were growing, what they were doing, and what they were interested in.

She is survived by children John May, Eric “Rick” (Sherryl Sheets-) May, Michael “Mike” (Lisa) May, Garry (Julie) May, Patricia “Pat” Culbertson, and Kathleen “Kathy” (Ben) Huntoon. Grandchildren David (Rae Ann) Dollmatsch, Michael “Mike” (Natalie) Dollmatsch, Andrew “Drew” (Meghan) Dollmatsch, Adam (Alisha) Dollmatsch, Amy Culbertson (Jeffry Lawler), Sean (Sarah) Culbertson, Grace Huntoon, Madison May (Matt Joseph), and Gretchen May. Her beloved Great-grandchildren Nolan, Mae, Jacob, Nicholas, Bruin, Logan, Dylan, Riley, Adilyn, Aidan, Finley, Cayla, Evelyn, and Maddox. There are also many nieces & nephews, cousins, & friends. She was preceded in death by her parents Adolph & Grace (Petty) Shultz, brother William “Bill” Shultz, sister Dorothy “Boo” (Shultz) Collins, baby brother Lloyd Shultz, her loving husband John May, daughter Susanna “Sue” (May) Dollmatsch, son-in-law Dave Dollmatsch, son-in-law Richard “Rick” Culbertson, daughter-in-law Joanne (Alioto) May, and grandson Jonathon Culbertson. Her family meant everything to her.

In her journal, she looked back on her life’s sentimental journey and wrote, “Think of me in these words: She lived, She learned, She loved, She laughed, She left.” We will miss our matriarch greatly as her personality filled up the room. We love you and know we will see you again someday. The family would like to thank Mount Carmel Hospice for their care in the last month: She referred to them as “her five new friends”: Mary-Ellen, Kate, James, Andrea and Kadae who became part of our family.

Visitation for Virginia will be held Friday, January 5, 2024 from 11:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M with the funeral following at 12;30 P.M. at Schoedinger Margarum Northeast, 1051 E Johnstown Road, Gahanna, OH 43230. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Mount Carmel Hospice or The American Red Cross.