Virginia Ginny (Ginny) Brintlinger Willey

Virginia (Ginny) Brintlinger Willey passed away Thursday, May 28 at the Hospice House of Williamsburg following a six month struggle with Leukemia. She was born on May 12, 1937 in Bloomington, Illinois, the daughter of Emory and Angeline Conrady Bolin, both of whom preceded her in death.

Ginny graduated from the University of Illinois and taught English and journalism at Barrington (IL) High School before becoming a full-time mom. When her children were older she joined the staff of the Arlington Heights, IL Daily Herald, where she worked as a copy editor for over 22 years until 2006 when she retired with her husband Allan to Williamsburg, Virginia.

Ginny loved her years as a full-time mom, where she followed the progress of her three children through their academic and extracurricular activities. All three children were active competitors in swimming and other sports, and Ginny enthusiastically supported their efforts.

At the Daily Herald Ginny’s love of English and journalism were put to use. She loved the challenge and excitement she found in the daily flow of producing a newspaper, and she was particularly proud of her award-winning headlines.

When she retired and moved to Williamsburg, she found new outlets for her skills, serving as a volunteer at Colonial Williamsburg and as the Secretary for the Woman’s Club of Williamsburg. She also joined the Comte de Grasse Chapter of the DAR at Yorktown. She reveled in the chance to indulge her passions for Broadway shows, the theater, jazz, and most of all international travel. Starting with a trip to the Soviet Union and Finland in 1987, she became a world traveler, researching and planning trips to Ecuador, Turkey, Germany, France and the Netherlands, to name just a few.

Ginny is survived by her husband Allan and her three children, Rose Fealy and husband Bob of Elmhurst, IL, Angela Brintlinger and husband Steve Conn of Yellow Springs, OH with their two children Olivia and Zachary, and Bill Brintlinger and wife Gianne of Escondido, CA with their two children Dylan and Lindsey. She is also survived by her sister Joan and husband Pat Kearnaghan of Ft. Myers, FL.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date at her daughter Rose’s church in Elmhurst, IL. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in Ginny’s memory to the Hospice House and Support Care of Williamsburg 4445 Powhatan Pkwy Williamsburg, VA 23188..