Virginia A. Baker Reed

Virginia Baker Reed (known as “Gigi” to her grandchildren) was born on November 26, 1923. She died peacefully on Saturday evening, January 4, 2014, at Vitas Hospice at Hermann Memorial City Hospital surrounded by angels to take her to see her Lord. She was a profoundly faithful woman who died with the peace granted to her by that faith. Virginia gave selflessly never seeking the glory for herself. She had many passions including her work with the Girl Scouts; the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry where she served as chairman for several terms; the alumni of Seton High School; and the parish of St. John Vianney where she was a founding member. Her greatest love and strongest devotion, however, was to her family and friends as evidenced, in part, by her attendance at the high school graduations of each of her eleven grandchildren. Virginia was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Maime Bridget Harron and Edwin Gilbert Baker. Edwin was a veteran of WWI and died shortly after Virginia was born from injuries sustained in the war. Virginia was raised by her mother and her step-father Phillip Badinger (known as “Papa”). Virginia attended Seton High School in Baltimore, where she made straight As and was head cheerleader. She was awarded a scholarship to attend nursing school, but shortly after graduation, went on a blind date with a handsome, young man by the name of Richard C. Reed Jr. and the rest, as she used to say, was “herstory.” They were married on June 13, 1942, in Baltimore, and it was only a month later that her husband was shipped out to serve in WWII. During that time Virginia lived in New York City with her in-laws, Duane Hodges Reed and Richard Chester Reed. She remained devoted to them until they died in the 1980s. Virginia lived with her husband in Atlanta, Georgia; Dayton, Ohio; New York City; Port Arthur, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Houston, Texas where she lived for 51 years until her death. While in Port Arthur they were able to enjoy life among many family members including Bill and Catherine Hodges and their daughters Jerry Aline and Suzy. In Houston, Virginia made numerous friends and one of her closest was Pauline Gentry (known to the family as Aunt Polly) who lived next door on Conifer Road. Virginia and Aunt Polly remained close to the end and Polly and her daughters recently attended Virginia’s 90th birthday celebration along with many other of her loving family and friends. Among the numerous awards Virginia received in her lifetime, she was most proud of the Lifetime Achievement Award she received from the Girl Scouts of America on April 30, 2005. Many of her family members attended that day to recognize her then four decades of service to help the girls and young women to whom she was committed. Despite the accolades, recognitions and many awards given to Virginia over the years, nothing was more precious to her than family -- her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and the families of Jerry Aline, Suzy and Virginia’s late brother Jimmy Badinger. Virginia was preceded in death by her husband, mother, father, step-father, brother Edwin, step-sister Annabell Badinger, step-brother James Badinger, beloved uncle, Seymour Baker, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, Elizabeth Reed Horn and beloved aunt and uncle by marriage, Bill and Catherine Hodges. She is survived by her eldest daughter, Sharron Reed (and her partner, Jeff Gavin), and Sharron’s children, Nowell, Cory, Kelleen (and Kelleen’s partner Brian Lisi), and Christopher (“C.J.”) Maluski; her son Richard (“Rick”) Chester Reed III (and his wife Joanie) and Rick’s children, Ryan (and his wife Jessica), Brett (and his wife Mary Pat), Wes and Jeff Reed; and her daughter, Colleen Virginia Reed, and Colleen’s children, Ben, Matt and Nicholas First. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Daphne and Ellie Reed, daughters of Ryan and Jessica, and her great-grandson due in May to Brett and Mary Pat. She is also survived by her Badinger niece, Mareia, and nephews, Gerry, David and Jimmy as well as the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Bill and Catherine Hodges including Jerry Aline and her children, and Suzy and her children. Virginia was loved and cared for by the wonderfully compassionate individuals at Colonial Oaks on Richmond Avenue where she lived until she had a stroke on Christmas Eve. The family thanks the caregivers at Colonial Oaks as well as the kind and tender staff at Vitas Hospice who greatly assisted Virginia in her last days. Her family, loved ones and friends are saddened by her death but blessed by the long, giving, loving life she shared with us all, and the knowledge that she has moved to her eternal life with God to which she aspired. Her light will continue to shine, and her legacy live on, in those whose lives she touched. Thank you for being her friend and for gracing her with a life of love and joy. She counted your friendship and love among her greatest blessings. Visitation will be at Dettling Funeral Home, 14094 Memorial Drive at Kirkwood, Houston, TX 77079, on Thursday, January 9 from 6:00 – 9:00. with a Vigil at 7:00 p.m. A funeral mass will be held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail, Houston, TX 77079 on Friday, January 10 at 10:30 A.M. For more information or to leave your condolences, visit www.dettlingfuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to a scholarship to be established in her name in care of the San Jacinto Girl Scout Council. Please contact the SJGSC at (713) 292-0300 or (800) 392-4340.

Virginia A. Baker Reed

November 26, 1923 - January 4, 2014