Obituary
Virginia Leighton
Virginia Leighton
She was born, Dec. 14, 1921, in Bridgewater, Mass., daughter of Dr. Fred A. and Katherine (MacSwain) Parsons. She grew up in Portland, and spent summers in Patten, Maine, at the family farm and also at their camp on Thomas Pond. Ginny graduated from Deering High School in 1939 and was the first 'Miss Deering' and a member of the School's winning field hockey team. She was a graduate of Portland Junior College and Bates College class of 1943. During World War II, she was the Chief Medical Technologist at Maine General Hospital, now Maine Medical Center. She was the clinical lab instructor for many lab technicians and interns. Virginia and two colleagues formed the Maine Society of Medical Technologists and Technicians.
In 1954, she married Frank G. "Jerry" Leighton of South Portland and settled in York in 1959 to raise their family. As a devoted mother of four daughters, she was active in the schools and served as room mother for numerous classrooms. Every spring, their garage was full of hundreds of cases of cookies as it was York's Girl Scout Cookie distribution center.
She was a member of the York Hospital Women's Committee for over 40 years and actively participated with the Ogunquit Playhouse fundraising event. Ginny was a member of the First Parish Congregational Church. Among her many interests were her family, children, gardening and traveling with her husband and numerous friends. Some of her favorite times were spent on their boat, the 'Jerico" cruising and fishing the coast of Maine. She had wintered in Naples, Fla., for over 30 years.
She leaves behind four daughters, Katherine Ashley of York, Melinda Leighton of York, Rachel Dumler and her husband, Dave Dumler, of Upland, Calif., and Martha Lee and her husband, Michael Lee, of York; a brother, Richard Parsons and his wife, Sandra Cole Parsons, of Oregon; 14 grandchildren, Sarah and Jerry Ashley of York, Alexander and Katherine Blasik of York, Cassandra and Sabrina Weinlein and Lauren and Kevin Dumler of Upland, Calif., and Virginia, Rachel, Caroline, Mitchell, Jake and Cole Lee of York. She also leaves many loving nieces and nephews.
Her husband, Jerry Leighton, and three brothers, Fred Parsons, Theodore Parsons and Donald Parsons, all predeceased her.
The memorial service for Mrs. Leighton was held Jan. 4 in the First Parish Congregational Church with private burial in First Parish Cemetery. Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home directed arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Dream Factory, P.O. Box 653, Cape Neddick, ME 03902.
