Virginia Edith Gilmore

Virginia Edith Barry Gilmore, 87, of Lake Grove, passed away on July 16, 2023 with her five children by her side. She was born to the late Vincent P. Barry and Marie F. Bibbo Barry, August 6, 1935, in the Bronx, New York. Virginia graduated from Mahopac High School in 1952 and received a BA in Education from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1955. Virginia is survived by her five children: Kathleen Gilmore, Vincent Gilmore (MaryJo), Susan Wright (Bobby), Kenneth Gilmore (Genevieve) and Virginia Cunningham (Thomas). She was a loving Grandmother to Bryan (Whitney), Brendan, Alexi (Jason), Brittnie (Julian), Taylor (Callum), Alyssa (Adam), Connor, Courtney, Austyn, Patrick, Shaun, Lauren, Penelope, Georgina, and Evangeline, and Great Grandmother to Rory, Kensi, Rhett, and Winston. Sister to the late Joan Bleakley (Russ), and Aunt to Patty (Nick), Diane (Mike), Russell (Rachelle), Jennifer (Maurice), Nicky (Maria), Danielle, Rebecca (Ilder), Melissa, Noah, Miles & Matthias.

Virginia, aka, “Mrs. Gilmore” was an elementary school teacher for 31 years in Middle Country School District, teaching second and third grade at Jericho Elementary in Centereach. It was there that she established lifelong friendships and enjoyed participating in book club, dinner club, luncheons, Broadway shows and countless hours of conversations. She was highly respected and loved by her fellow teachers and adored by her students. She has had an overwhelming impact on the students she taught and treated every one of them as if they were her own.

Although Virginia loved being a teacher, she loved being a mother and grandmother even more. Her family meant everything to her, and she was grateful to have had them by her side throughout her two yearlong battles with kidney disease and cancer. Her love for her family was the reason she fought so long and hard, and giving up was just NOT an option. She was a lady of strength, compassion, wisdom and grace, and she had a way of making everyone who came into her life feel special. There are truly no words to express how much she meant to us and how much she will be missed, but she knew that we loved her with all our heart, and “YES Mom, we know you love us MORE!” Rest in peace.

In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital