Alice C. Gingery

Born September 28, 1930, Alice was the daughter of Philip and Gladys (Wilbur) Christman of Duanesburg, New York. A precocious child, Alice went to first grade at age four: she had appeared daily on the playground of the elementary school where her friends were enrolled until the first-grade teacher decided to let Alice Louise come to school. For the next twelve years, she excelled both academically and musically, playing alto sax in band and advancing to concert-level repertoire in piano.

Alice graduated from Schenectady (NY) High School in 1947 and sent an application to Bob Jones University for the first fall semester the college was in its new home in Greenville, SC. Alice turned seventeen just before classes started that year. She met her future husband, Gail Gingery, a tall, thin tenor from Tiskilwa, Illinois, in freshman English, eventually becoming his accompanist for voice lessons and recitals. They didn’t date until after his graduate platform, when he took her to Howard Johnson’s (now Red Lobster near campus) for ice cream to celebrate.

Alice majored in piano performance and was much in demand as an accompanist for singers, instrumentalists, and choirs. As a graduate assistant, in addition to teaching piano lessons, she was the accompanist for every musical number on the weekly Vesper program in Rodeheaver Auditorium.

The Gingerys were married in Alice’s home church in upstate New York on August 28, 1954. Gail had been drafted into the US Army and served as a chaplain’s assistant. When his duties ended, the couple returned to BJU in 1955 to serve on the music faculty, roles they filled with distinction for over fifty years. Both credited Dr. Bob Jones Sr. with nurturing their commitment to Christian service. By God’s grace, they faithfully taught many generations of students, always seeking to instill in them the importance of using their musical skills in ministry.

Alice committed her gifts both to teaching and to ongoing professional development. She attended piano conventions and workshops both at home and abroad and became a specialist in the Taubman Approach to piano playing. She worked frequently with injured pianists to help them rehabilitate, and she had wide teaching experience with piano students from K5 through doctoral work. She was regularly asked to adjudicate piano festivals, contests, and auditions. Her accompanying for her BJU colleagues, for guest artists in campus productions, and in concerts in the community won her well-deserved praise.

The professional demands on the Gingerys in an academic environment never prevented them from fulfilling their goal of music ministry in the local church. While Dr. Gingery served as elder and music director at Faith Free Presbyterian Church, Alice played for the choir and congregational singing and kept the nursery. Until she was ninety, Alice taught piano at home and was unceasingly involved with her expanding family. In addition, she kept up with former students by corresponding or visiting. She will be remembered not only for her commitment to piano teaching but also as a fan of the Atlanta Braves, whose games she followed on TV and sometimes in person. In 2023, Alice moved to Shepherd’s Care Assisted Living. Shortly after her 95th birthday, she was hospitalized with a serious illness. Following unsuccessful rehab, she resided at National Health Care Greenville.

Alice is survived by her daughter, Christa (Randy) Habegger and son, Philip (Becky) Gingery; twelve grandchildren: Rand (Lindsey) Habegger, Ariel (Olivier) Blanchard, Taryn Gamble, Adam (Erika) Gingery, Ben Gingery, Will (Hannah) Gingery, Sam (Anna) Gingery, Sarah Gingery, Joseph (Hannah) Gingery, David (Annanya) Gingery, Matthew Gingery, Greyson Gingery; and seventeen great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of sixty-four years, her brother, W. “Corkey” Christman, and granddaughter Laura Gingery.

A visitation will be held at Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 1 Pine Knoll Drive, Greenville, SC 29609, on July 30, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

A funeral service will take place at Faith Free Presbyterian Church, Greenville, 1207 Haywood Rd, Greenville, SC 29615, on July 31, 2026, at 2:00 pm, with commital to follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 1901 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville, SC 29609.