Virginia Anderson

Virginia Mae (Webster) Anderson of Whiting, New Jersey passed away on December 10, 2025 at the age of 103. She passed at The Pines Village, having been surrounded by her loving family and friends for several hours before with storytelling, singing, reading Scripture and prayer. She died peacefully having been confined to a wheelchair for eight months after a bad fall in March.

Born on August 14,1922 in Norton, VA and growing up in Johnson City, TN, Virginia was the fourth child of Robert and Ethel (Stidham) Webster. Virginia had five brothers and two sisters and loved to tell stories about growing up in a family of ten. She loved adventure and was willing to try anything. She told about riding her bicycle down the many steps of Science Hill High School with her brothers. Being very orderly and disciplined, she also told the story about making her lunch every day and having everything neatly organized except the day she accidentally took her brother’s lunch that was thrown together. Her brother loved it and wanted her to make his lunch from then on. She didn’t. Her family attended Central Baptist Church and Virginia was baptized on Easter Sunday when she was 12 years old. She had many fond memories of her church life.

Virginia loved home and family. She enjoyed working as a candy striper in a nearby hospital. Virginia attended Johnson City Business College and got a job with Eastman Kodak. She transferred with Eastman to Baltimore, MD for a year to live with her sister, Evelyn who lived there and needed help with her children. During that time and WWII, she started writing to a pen pal in the Army who was overseas and that young man later became her husband, Norman Anderson whom she married in 1946.

Virginia and Norman lived in Hackensack, NJ for seven years before moving to Bergenfield, NJ where they raised three children and lived for 28 years. Her family attended Northern Valley Evangelical Free Church where they were involved in various serving capacities as individuals and a family. When Norman (Prudential) and Virginia (Yegan Associates) retired, they moved to Toms River where they resided for the next 38 years. Norman died in 2004 after 58 years of marriage, but Virginia continued living in Toms River where she and Norman had been very involved in Ocean County Evangelical Free Church and where she had many friends and good neighbors. In 2019, “Ginny” (as she was fondly known by her close friends) felt it was time to let go of her house and move to The Pines Village in Whiting, where she had ministered earlier and had some friends. She enjoyed being in ‘independent living’ there for the next six years until she fell and lost the use of her legs.

Virginia helped with various ladies ministry activities and committees, served as a deaconess at OCEFC, a Nursery coordinator, Treasurer, visited the sick and took part regularly in bringing music and devotionals for the assisted living wing of The Pines before they added more apartments and independent living. Virginia truly cared about people and loved bringing them joy. She was known for her wonderful hospitality and making delicious meals for everyone coming through her door. She loved having people around her table, sharing meals and conversation! “Aunt Ginger” as relatives called her was also known for her pie making! Family meant everything to Virginia and she always did what she could to bring her family together. Virginia loved to sew and used her hands to do everything from gardening to quilting, crocheting afghans, making beautiful clothes and drapes and crafts of all kinds including Christmas ornaments. She did all these things until she was nearly 100 and even drove herself around until she was 98!

Virginia leaves three children: Janice Basnight (Tom), Victoria Ellingsen (Paul), and David Anderson (Margaret) and nine grandchildren: Dana Basnight Brown (Wes), Bryan Basnight (Mary), Michael and Timothy (Jennifer) Ellingsen, and Jesse, Nathanael, Joshua, Benjamin, and Maisie Anderson. She also leaves seven great-grandchildren: Annabelle Brown (6), and Katherine (13), Margaret (10), Lukas (8), Madeleine (7) Annika (5), and Kristianna Ellingsen (2). She was predeceased by her parents and seven siblings, as well as her husband Norman.

A Memorial service is planned for January 3, 2026 in the Town Hall of The Pines Village, Whiting, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Camp-of-the-Woods in Speculator, NY or to Camp Spofford in Spofford, NH.