Virginia Louise Gundstrom, Ginger to everyone, was born in Tacoma, to Marjorie and Bill on Black Thursday, the first of the three "black" days of the great stock market crash of 1929. Bill was an assistant manager of the Bank of California, and so Ginger's birth was perhaps not so propitious as it could have been. Ginger was the third and youngest of three sisters, Doris nine and Betty five years older respectively.
Her dad died in 1940, when Ginger was only 10, and we never heard her complain, but times were tough. Nonetheless, Ginger went to local schools and graduated from Stadium High School in 1947. Along the way she acted in plays, sang in choirs, was involved in synchronized swimming and was dragged to a tap dance lesson every week for seemingly forever as she fondly remembered.
Ginger then enrolled in the College of Puget Sound, which was all of three blocks away. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. During a ski club outing she met Joe, who had been a "32 month wonder" i.e., 32 months after enrolling in college and enlisting in the US Navy, Joe was a commissioned naval officer and had a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Joe, a farm boy from Wenatchee, had been offered a small scholarship to play football at CPS.
They married in 1949 and very soon were blessed, if that is the right word, with Bill, Tom and Pete. From a household of four ladies in leafy, established upscale north Tacoma, Ginger now shared quarters in the world's smallest three bedroom house in arid sandblasted Richland with four boys, the oldest of whom was Joe-Joe. They augmented his initial salary of $65 per week by picking asparagus.
Ginger was the quintessential stay-at-home mom. On the days that the cafeteria was not offering chili and cinnamon rolls or hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, the boys walked home for lunch from Marcus Whitman Grade School. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother, went to an infinite number of boys' sporting events, school events and had dinner on the table every night at 5:00. All us boomer kids on Ash were in and out of Joe and Ginger's and all the other kids houses; there were no fences, no keys, no leashes for your dog. We chased the mosquito fogger up and down the streets. In the summer she took us to the Big Pool; after a time we could ride our bikes. We all had it so good it is hard to believe how lucky our generation was.
She was always pleasant and amiable to everyone. She and Joe were the two most non-judgmental people in existence. Her demeanor somewhat hid a really bright person. An expert crossword puzzle would take her five minutes; she amassed numerous masters points playing duplicate bridge, even dragging her oldest son to a few points. She had lots of good friends, many of whom had played cards together for over 50 years.
We went car camping, skied, Ginger bowled for the Bon Marche and had the high game for the 1968-69 season. She liked yard sales and antiquing and had an impressive collection of depression era kitchen gadgets with green handles. She went to casinos occasionally, but always limited her losses to $40. She and Joe played golf, first at Sham-na-pum, then at Horn Rapids. She was still playing at Buckskin in her late 70s. She was a very dedicated walker.
Joe retired in 1987; they were able to travel quite a bit, to France for Tom and AnneMarie's wedding, to Sweden to visit long lost relatives, to Cooperstown, and even skiing in the Alps.
She was a great mother and mother in law, who unconditionally loved all her boys' wives.
Ginger's last five years were difficult. Joe died in early 2007 and Ginger suffered from dementia.
Ginger is survived by her sons Bill and his wife Deborah, Tom and his wife Anne Marie, Pete and his wife Jane and their children and grandchildren. Her sister Betty French also survives.
The family would like to thank the staffs of both Alterra and Guardian Angel for their compassionate and competent care.
A memorial service will be held at the Sunset Event Center, 915 ByPass Highway Richland, Monday August 13th at 2:00 PM, followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances to Alzheimer's Association.
Her dad died in 1940, when Ginger was only 10, and we never heard her complain, but times were tough. Nonetheless, Ginger went to local schools and graduated from Stadium High School in 1947. Along the way she acted in plays, sang in choirs, was involved in synchronized swimming and was dragged to a tap dance lesson every week for seemingly forever as she fondly remembered.
Ginger then enrolled in the College of Puget Sound, which was all of three blocks away. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. During a ski club outing she met Joe, who had been a "32 month wonder" i.e., 32 months after enrolling in college and enlisting in the US Navy, Joe was a commissioned naval officer and had a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Joe, a farm boy from Wenatchee, had been offered a small scholarship to play football at CPS.
They married in 1949 and very soon were blessed, if that is the right word, with Bill, Tom and Pete. From a household of four ladies in leafy, established upscale north Tacoma, Ginger now shared quarters in the world's smallest three bedroom house in arid sandblasted Richland with four boys, the oldest of whom was Joe-Joe. They augmented his initial salary of $65 per week by picking asparagus.
Ginger was the quintessential stay-at-home mom. On the days that the cafeteria was not offering chili and cinnamon rolls or hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, the boys walked home for lunch from Marcus Whitman Grade School. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother, went to an infinite number of boys' sporting events, school events and had dinner on the table every night at 5:00. All us boomer kids on Ash were in and out of Joe and Ginger's and all the other kids houses; there were no fences, no keys, no leashes for your dog. We chased the mosquito fogger up and down the streets. In the summer she took us to the Big Pool; after a time we could ride our bikes. We all had it so good it is hard to believe how lucky our generation was.
She was always pleasant and amiable to everyone. She and Joe were the two most non-judgmental people in existence. Her demeanor somewhat hid a really bright person. An expert crossword puzzle would take her five minutes; she amassed numerous masters points playing duplicate bridge, even dragging her oldest son to a few points. She had lots of good friends, many of whom had played cards together for over 50 years.
We went car camping, skied, Ginger bowled for the Bon Marche and had the high game for the 1968-69 season. She liked yard sales and antiquing and had an impressive collection of depression era kitchen gadgets with green handles. She went to casinos occasionally, but always limited her losses to $40. She and Joe played golf, first at Sham-na-pum, then at Horn Rapids. She was still playing at Buckskin in her late 70s. She was a very dedicated walker.
Joe retired in 1987; they were able to travel quite a bit, to France for Tom and AnneMarie's wedding, to Sweden to visit long lost relatives, to Cooperstown, and even skiing in the Alps.
She was a great mother and mother in law, who unconditionally loved all her boys' wives.
Ginger's last five years were difficult. Joe died in early 2007 and Ginger suffered from dementia.
Ginger is survived by her sons Bill and his wife Deborah, Tom and his wife Anne Marie, Pete and his wife Jane and their children and grandchildren. Her sister Betty French also survives.
The family would like to thank the staffs of both Alterra and Guardian Angel for their compassionate and competent care.
A memorial service will be held at the Sunset Event Center, 915 ByPass Highway Richland, Monday August 13th at 2:00 PM, followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances to Alzheimer's Association.
Virginia Louise Gundstrom, Ginger to everyone, was born in Tacoma, to Marjorie and Bill on Black Thursday, the first of the three "black" days of the great stock market crash of 1929. Bill was an assistant manager of the Bank of California, and so Ginger's birth was perhaps not so propitious as it could have been. Ginger was the third and youngest of three sisters, Doris nine and Betty five years older respectively.
Her dad died in 1940, when Ginger was only 10, and we never heard her complain, but times were tough. Nonetheless, Ginger went to local schools and graduated from Stadium High School in 1947. Along the way she acted in plays, sang in choirs, was involved in synchronized swimming and was dragged to a tap dance lesson every week for seemingly forever as she fondly remembered.
Ginger then enrolled in the College of Puget Sound, which was all of three blocks away. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. During a ski club outing she met Joe, who had been a "32 month wonder" i.e., 32 months after enrolling in college and enlisting in the US Navy, Joe was a commissioned naval officer and had a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Joe, a farm boy from Wenatchee, had been offered a small scholarship to play football at CPS.
They married in 1949 and very soon were blessed, if that is the right word, with Bill, Tom and Pete. From a household of four ladies in leafy, established upscale north Tacoma, Ginger now shared quarters in the world's smallest three bedroom house in arid sandblasted Richland with four boys, the oldest of whom was Joe-Joe. They augmented his initial salary of $65 per week by picking asparagus.
Ginger was the quintessential stay-at-home mom. On the days that the cafeteria was not offering chili and cinnamon rolls or hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, the boys walked home for lunch from Marcus Whitman Grade School. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother, went to an infinite number of boys' sporting events, school events and had dinner on the table every night at 5:00. All us boomer kids on Ash were in and out of Joe and Ginger's and all the other kids houses; there were no fences, no keys, no leashes for your dog. We chased the mosquito fogger up and down the streets. In the summer she took us to the Big Pool; after a time we could ride our bikes. We all had it so good it is hard to believe how lucky our generation was.
She was always pleasant and amiable to everyone. She and Joe were the two most non-judgmental people in existence. Her demeanor somewhat hid a really bright person. An expert crossword puzzle would take her five minutes; she amassed numerous masters points playing duplicate bridge, even dragging her oldest son to a few points. She had lots of good friends, many of whom had played cards together for over 50 years.
We went car camping, skied, Ginger bowled for the Bon Marche and had the high game for the 1968-69 season. She liked yard sales and antiquing and had an impressive collection of depression era kitchen gadgets with green handles. She went to casinos occasionally, but always limited her losses to $40. She and Joe played golf, first at Sham-na-pum, then at Horn Rapids. She was still playing at Buckskin in her late 70s. She was a very dedicated walker.
Joe retired in 1987; they were able to travel quite a bit, to France for Tom and AnneMarie's wedding, to Sweden to visit long lost relatives, to Cooperstown, and even skiing in the Alps.
She was a great mother and mother in law, who unconditionally loved all her boys' wives.
Ginger's last five years were difficult. Joe died in early 2007 and Ginger suffered from dementia.
Ginger is survived by her sons Bill and his wife Deborah, Tom and his wife Anne Marie, Pete and his wife Jane and their children and grandchildren. Her sister Betty French also survives.
The family would like to thank the staffs of both Alterra and Guardian Angel for their compassionate and competent care.
A memorial service will be held at the Sunset Event Center, 915 ByPass Highway Richland, Monday August 13th at 2:00 PM, followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances to Alzheimer's Association.
Her dad died in 1940, when Ginger was only 10, and we never heard her complain, but times were tough. Nonetheless, Ginger went to local schools and graduated from Stadium High School in 1947. Along the way she acted in plays, sang in choirs, was involved in synchronized swimming and was dragged to a tap dance lesson every week for seemingly forever as she fondly remembered.
Ginger then enrolled in the College of Puget Sound, which was all of three blocks away. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority. During a ski club outing she met Joe, who had been a "32 month wonder" i.e., 32 months after enrolling in college and enlisting in the US Navy, Joe was a commissioned naval officer and had a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. Joe, a farm boy from Wenatchee, had been offered a small scholarship to play football at CPS.
They married in 1949 and very soon were blessed, if that is the right word, with Bill, Tom and Pete. From a household of four ladies in leafy, established upscale north Tacoma, Ginger now shared quarters in the world's smallest three bedroom house in arid sandblasted Richland with four boys, the oldest of whom was Joe-Joe. They augmented his initial salary of $65 per week by picking asparagus.
Ginger was the quintessential stay-at-home mom. On the days that the cafeteria was not offering chili and cinnamon rolls or hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, the boys walked home for lunch from Marcus Whitman Grade School. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother, went to an infinite number of boys' sporting events, school events and had dinner on the table every night at 5:00. All us boomer kids on Ash were in and out of Joe and Ginger's and all the other kids houses; there were no fences, no keys, no leashes for your dog. We chased the mosquito fogger up and down the streets. In the summer she took us to the Big Pool; after a time we could ride our bikes. We all had it so good it is hard to believe how lucky our generation was.
She was always pleasant and amiable to everyone. She and Joe were the two most non-judgmental people in existence. Her demeanor somewhat hid a really bright person. An expert crossword puzzle would take her five minutes; she amassed numerous masters points playing duplicate bridge, even dragging her oldest son to a few points. She had lots of good friends, many of whom had played cards together for over 50 years.
We went car camping, skied, Ginger bowled for the Bon Marche and had the high game for the 1968-69 season. She liked yard sales and antiquing and had an impressive collection of depression era kitchen gadgets with green handles. She went to casinos occasionally, but always limited her losses to $40. She and Joe played golf, first at Sham-na-pum, then at Horn Rapids. She was still playing at Buckskin in her late 70s. She was a very dedicated walker.
Joe retired in 1987; they were able to travel quite a bit, to France for Tom and AnneMarie's wedding, to Sweden to visit long lost relatives, to Cooperstown, and even skiing in the Alps.
She was a great mother and mother in law, who unconditionally loved all her boys' wives.
Ginger's last five years were difficult. Joe died in early 2007 and Ginger suffered from dementia.
Ginger is survived by her sons Bill and his wife Deborah, Tom and his wife Anne Marie, Pete and his wife Jane and their children and grandchildren. Her sister Betty French also survives.
The family would like to thank the staffs of both Alterra and Guardian Angel for their compassionate and competent care.
A memorial service will be held at the Sunset Event Center, 915 ByPass Highway Richland, Monday August 13th at 2:00 PM, followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests remembrances to Alzheimer's Association.
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