Virginia Gates

Gini’s life cannot be measured simply by the years she lived, but by the lives she touched, the people she loved, and the extraordinary strength with which she faced every chapter placed before her.

Serving others was simply part of who Gini was. Throughout her life, she gave her time, energy, ideas, and leadership to her community. She served on the board of her BNI chapter, helped create a women’s group within the Lexington Chamber, and was involved in raising money and awareness for numerous charitable organizations and causes, including Cancer of Many Colors and Real Men Wear Pink.

After her own cancer diagnosis, that desire to serve took on an even deeper meaning. Gini became very involved with the Lexington Medical Center Foundation and proudly served on its board during the final two years of her life. She loved being part of the Foundation because it gave her an opportunity to turn her own experiences as a patient into something that could help others.

Gini paid attention to everything—the things that worked well and the things that could be better. There was rarely a doctor’s visit, treatment, or experience within the healthcare system that did not end with Gini telling Larry, “I need to let the board know about this.” Whether the experience was good or bad, she wanted it shared because she believed her real-life experiences could help improve the experience of the patients and families who came after her.

That was Gini.

She was a warrior, but she was more than that. Warriors fight their own battles. Gini somehow found a way to fight hers while continuing to lift up the people around her. That is what made her a superhero.

To her husband, Larry, she was his partner through a lifetime of memories, challenges, adventures, laughter, parenthood, and love. He once told a room full of people that the most unique thing about him was that he was married to a superhero. He meant it then, and he means it even more today.

But perhaps Gini’s greatest role was being Mom to Coleman and Lawson. They were an enormous part of her heart and her life, and the love she had for them will continue far beyond her time here. She loved watching the boys in all of their adventures, whether playing soccer, shooting skeet, skiing, hiking to waterfalls, or baking cookies. They made her smile. Her strength, compassion, determination, humor, and love live on through them.

Gini’s story was never defined by cancer. Cancer became part of her story, but it was never allowed to become the whole story. Her life was about family. It was about friendships. It was about serving others. It was about showing up. It was about loving deeply, fighting fiercely, and helping people even while carrying burdens of her own.

Gini also found joy in creating. As a side business, she made handcrafted soaps, pouring her creativity, care, and personality into every batch. What began as something she enjoyed became another way for her to connect with people and brighten their day. Gini had a gift for making people feel good—inside and out—and her soaps were a small reflection of that larger part of who she was: someone who loved creating happiness, sharing it with others, and leaving people a little better than she found them.

Those who knew Gini will remember her smile, her heart, her willingness to talk to and help anyone, but above all they will remember the way she made them feel. They will remember her strength, but they will also remember the woman behind that strength—the wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend who was deeply loved.

Gini leaves behind her husband, Larry; her sons, Coleman and Lawson; her mother and stepfather, Sally and Walter Blake; her father and stepmother, Allen and Donna Hiott; her sister, Kristina (David) Brooks; her beloved Aunt Kaye Strother, Uncle David Strother, and Uncle George Strother; and an extended family and circle of friends whose lives are better because she was part of them.

She leaves behind something else as well: a legacy.

A legacy of courage without bitterness. Of service in the middle of struggle. Of loving others while fighting battles of her own. And of showing everyone fortunate enough to know her what a real superhero looks like.

Gini did not lose a fight.

She finished her journey having given everything she had—to her family, to the people she loved, and to causes that mattered deeply to her.

And the warriors she helped create will keep fighting.

Her legacy continues through them.

• • •

A Celebration of Life honoring Gini will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Caughman-Harman Funeral Home in Lexington, SC, with a reception immediately following. Burial will be private.

The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Lexington Health Foundation in Virginia’s memory, an organization that was especially meaningful to her and allowed her to use her own experiences to help improve the lives of others.

Donations may be made online through the Lexington Health Foundation or by mail to: Lexington Health, Attn: Foundation Office, 2720 Sunset Boulevard, West Columbia, SC 29169.

Online donations: https://foundation.lexhealth.com/donate