Virginia "Gingie" Ann Keefer

Virginia “Gingie” Ann Keefer was born on September 20, 1947 and passed away on April 26, 2023 after unexpectedly contracting a lymphatic blood cancer that attacked her immune system. Her family was at her side at the time of her passing.

She is survived by her loving husband, Frank, her loving son, Richard and two stepchildren, Frank and Lucy Keefer and four grandchildren, Nick and Hunter Klein, Teagon Morison and Elliot Kolberg.

She was preceded in death by her adoptive parents, Ernest and Virginia Freeman and her twin brother, Fred Freeman.

She was born in Evanston, Illinois and grew up in Northfield, North of Chicago. She is a graduate of New Trier High School in Chicago and Regina Salve College in Rhode Island. She moved to Maryland where she was married and ultimately ended up on the Wye River, a huge tributary, minutes from the Chesapeake Bay where she fell in love with seafood, particularly steamed crabs which she harvested from her own pier. Her home was the site of the Wye River Peace Accords featuring world leaders from the Middle East and the President and VP of the U.S. Eighteen years ago she and her husband were visiting friends on Marco and have been here since. They have resided in Hideaway for the past twelve years.

Her passing will leave a huge void in her community and the world. Known for her effervescent personality, her infectious and incredible loving smile lit up every place she went.

She was an incredibly talented woman. Athletically she was an avid skier for over 70 years and was poetry in motion on the slopes. Likewise, she was a natural swimmer and springboard diver. She was on a bocce league and played tennis and golf. She was an avid sports fan and had season tickets for the Chicago Cubs and Bears and the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens.

She was also an avid reader polishing off 2 or 3 books a week, mostly mystery or suspense.

She was very proud of her Swedish heritage and as a young woman was a very successful model. In her later years, she was often mistaken for actress Linda Evans and frequently approached for autographs. She was picked off of the streets by a casting director as an extra for several top selling movies with stars such as Matt Damon, George Clooney and Owen Wilson.

She left modeling after a devastating boat accident and worked as an EMT and ambulance driver. In the later years, she was a VP and COO of a multi-million dollar internet product brokerage business which she founded with her husband. It was a forerunner of Amazon Prime. She achieved her dream of philanthropy.

Her ear for music was God-given and she could detect one sour note in a symphony orchestra concert. She played the piano, flute and harp by ear and could play any song after hearing 2 or 3 notes. Likewise, she had an incredible voice and once played a set with the Four Tops in Reno.

She was an incredible hunter and harvested several world class animals around the globe, but she was an even better spotter and could glass the fields and hills for hours, loving nature. She was a true animal lover and had the gift of calling all varieties of animals but never took one she called, only lonely bulls that had been kicked out of the herd to die of disease or predation. She was a Life Member of the NRA and Safari Club International.

She met her husband Frank on a blind date that he was unaware of and they attended a Cubs game that afternoon at Wrigley field in Chicago. That evening, she invited him over to her home for a surprise four-course dinner by candlelight on her back deck. She was an incredible gourmet cook and her husband and soulmate said she was the first woman he ever met who could cook better than him or his mother. Over the years, they loved cooking together and would often surprise each other with fine dining meals.

Frank invited her to his home in Maryland, and in formal attire, on bended knee, in a hot air balloon flying over the Mason-Dixon line he asked her to marry him. It was their second date

They enjoyed fine dining and have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world including the French Laundry, Peter Luger’s and Mar-a-Lago.

She had a marriage made in heaven and every day, for nearly 38 years she and her husband deeply expressed the love for one another. They were truly spousal savants and servants, surprising each other every day with acts of love and kindness and their fondest wish was that everyone loved each other as much as they did.

A visitation for Gingie will be held Thursday, May 11, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Hodges-Josberger Funeral Home, 577 E. Elkcam Circle, Marco Island, FL 34145. A graveside service will occur Friday, May 12, 2023 at 11:00 AM at Marco Island Cemetery, 489 West Elkcam Circle, Marco Island, FL 34145. A reception will follow at Hideaway Beach Club following the service at the cemetery, 250 South Beach Drive Marco Island, FL.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hodgesjosberger.com for the Keefer family.