Virginia Gage Thurston

Virginia H. Thurston of 37 North Road, Yarmouth, passed away unexpectedly on December 22, 2016. She was 80 years old. She was born in Portland at Dr. Leighton’s Private Hospital on August 28, 1936. Virginia was the daughter of Kenneth N. and Dorothy S. Hillman. “Ginnie” graduated from Deering High School and then received her BS Degree in Nursing at the University of Vermont. She worked at Maine Medical Center as an RN for almost 30 years. Ginnie had a great love for baking, mostly at Christmas time when she would spend countless hours baking dozens of cookies to share with her family, friends , delivery people and even the local dentist office. In the Spring and Summer her other love was for her gardens, tending to her many varieties of plants and flowers and enjoying watching them grow and watching the birds play happily amongst them. Ginnie had an infectious zest for life that was never dampened by the four episodes of cancer she faced and managed to beat. She always maintained a positive attitude and strength to fight because she loved life, loved her children and was a special “Nanny”, she adored her grandchildren. While raising her four children in Yarmouth, her door was always open for their many friends and she always made sure there were baked goods on the counter to share. She was affectionately known as “Ma T” and loved her “adopted” children like they were her own.

Virginia is pre-deceased by her parents and her longtime companion Robert F. Doble Sr. She is survived by a son, Ronald G. Thurston, Jr. of Kennebunk, a daughter in law Andrea and their children Grant, Read and Gage of Yarmouth, daughter , Deborah L. Thurston of Falmouth, daughter Barbara J. Beckwith and her husband Thomas and son Andrew of Westbrook, daughter Susan F. MacDonald and husband Brian and their children Conner and Quinn of Kennebunkport, and a sister Charlotte Bryant of Yarmouth, and her children Kathy Vandenegel, Larry Bryant and Greg Bryant. She is also survived by Bob’s children, Robert Doble Jr, John Doble, David Doble, Suzanne Cardilli, and Jane Stephenson.

A celebration of life will be held at Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home in Portland on Thursday, December 29th, 2016 at 1PM with a catered gathering immediately following. The family requests colorful attire as Ginnie would have liked that and in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to: Maine Cancer Foundation, 170 US Route 1, Ste 250, Falmouth, Maine 04105.