Obituary of Virginia S. Heins

Virginia—beloved daughter, sister, aunt, great aunt, great-great aunt, niece, cousin, and friend—died on January 2, 2019 at Teresian House in Albany, NY. Born in 1921 to the late Ann Sablon Heins and William F. Heins in Albany, she grew up in Glens Falls, where she graduated from high school and worked as a legal secretary. In the 1950’s she moved to Kingston NY, and then to Woodstock NY, to work as an executive secretary for IBM, a position she held for over 35 years.

Virginia was an accomplished artist who loved drawing and painting landscapes, still lifes, and animals. Many stray cats—including Lady Jane, Tiny Tim, Tigger, Sebastian, and Abigail—found unconditional love and a forever home with Aunt Jeannie.
 
After retiring, Virginia delivered meals on wheels, defying snow, ice, rain, and mud on unpaved mountain roads and long driveways to reach whose who depended on her.

Cherished for her easy going strength, she found humor everywhere. She delighted us with her passion for folk dancing, gardening, walking, making new friends, and  volunteering as secretary of the Woodstock Community Senior Center. She loved living and shared her generous light with many.

Preceded in death by her mother and father, brother Norman Heins, sister Ann H. Balk, brother in law Walter Balk, and many family and friends. A celebration of her life will be held at Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Avenue, Delmar, NY on Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 3:30 pm. RSVP’s welcome at cbalk@juno.com or 206-380-9544. Graveside burial on Friday June 14, 2019 2:00 pm at the Woodstock Cemetery in Woodstock, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society of the United States (humanesociety.org) or The World Wildlife Fund (worldwildlife.org).