Virginia Brill Hallam

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, Virginia Hallam passed away peacefully on March 4, 2020 at her home in McLean, VA. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 15, 1924, she grew up in the Washington DC area and graduated from McKinley Technical High School. As a young woman she worked at the National Bank of Washington and married John Frank Hallam on February 13, 1954. John and Virginia raised three sons while residing in Fairfax, VA and Rockville, MD.

Virginia and her husband were world travelers. They took trips to such interesting places as Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Botswana, and the Galapagos Islands. For a number of years, they wintered on the tiny island of Bequia in the Caribbean. When they first started visiting Bequia, the only means of transport was a mail sailboat, which often had live animals lashed to its deck.

Virginia and John lived in the neighborhood of Old Farm in Rockville, MD for over 40 years. While residing there, they made many lifetime friends amongst their neighbors. Of note, the women of the neighborhood formed a bridge club that did not play bridge. The highlight of this bridge club was an annual trip to Virginia’s apartment in the Irene condominium in Ocean City, MD. Again, bridge was not the main activity.

Virginia was an amazing mother and grandmother. Raising three rambunctious sons was not easy certainly. To her five grandchildren, she was known as “Nana” and played a central role in their lives.

In her later years, Virginia suffered from memory loss and resided at the Sunrise facility in McLean, VA.

While her health declined, Virginia maintained her style and dignity and was a favorite of the Sunrise staff. While it was not overly difficult convincing Virginia to use a walker, getting her to wear flat shoes or shoes without heels was another matter. Virginia’s daughter-in-law, Margaret, took great pleasure in her weekly visits and established a close bond with Virginia. Virginia’s sister, Patsy, would drive from Berkeley Springs, WV frequently to visit, often bringing a lifetime friend of both sisters, Louise Pike.

She is preceded in death by her beloved, husband, John, her dear sister Patricia Hickock, and her parents Albert and Helen Brill. Virginia is survived by her three sons: John, Mark (Margaret), and Danial (Paula), who reside in Austin, TX, Washington, DC and Seattle, WA respectively. Virginia is also survived by five grandchildren: Matthew (Shannon), Andrew, Caroline, Luke and Emma.

A private family burial service will take place May 3, 2020. A memorial gathering will be held at a later date. The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of Sunrise of McLean, who provided wonderful and devoted care to Virginia for almost 8 years.