Virginia (Gina) Marks Paget
- Published: May 25, 2017
Virginia (Gina) Marks Paget passed away on April 26 at her home in Philadelphia, surrounded by her family. She was 81 years old. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, June 3 at 2 p.m., at Christ Episcopal Church in Dayton, Ohio. All friends and relatives are welcome.
Born in Odessa, Texas, to John and Gladys Marks, Gina was the second of their three children. She and her siblings, Margaret Helen Gillham and John H. Marks, both of whom survive her, were raised in Odessa and Harrison, Ark.
Gina graduated from Odessa High School in 1953 and attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies in 1957. While at Sweet Briar College, she met and later married James Sanborn Paget, who preceded her in death. Over the course of their 30-year marriage, Gina and Jim had four children, all of whom survive them: Jennifer Louise Paget (Mark Pinsky), of Philadelphia; Paul Sanborn Paget (Judy Paget), of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Margaret Helen Paget (Marc Rogovin), of Brookline, Mass.; and Jonathan Marks Paget (Zola Paget), of Colorado Springs, Colo. Gina is also survived by her five grandchildren, each of whom was a source of pride, joy and delight: Nathan and Clara Pinsky, Mila and Lillian Seifert and Madeleine Paget.
Gina and Jim lived and raised their children in Grants and Albuquerque, N.M.; Great Bend, Kan.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Kettering, Ohio. During her years in St. Louis, Gina was active in the political movement to desegregate the St. Louis schools. She and Jim, who was the pastor of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, worked toward the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church, and were active in various other socially and politically progressive movements in St. Louis.
Gina earned her master’s degree and Ph.D., in education administration, from Washington University and the University of Missouri St. Louis, while at the same time raising her four children. After moving to Ohio, Gina worked for a number of years at the Kettering Foundation, a research institution dedicated to promoting democracy by cultivating public discourse and encouraging community involvement.
After her children were grown, Gina moved to Yellow Springs, where she lived happily for almost 30 years. In Yellow Springs, Gina served as dean of online learning at Antioch University McGregor and as a consultant to the Kettering Foundation.
Gina loved the mountains of New Mexico, the art and culture of the southwest, the family’s cabin in Ruidoso, wildflowers, walks in the woods, travel to new places, her beautiful back porch in Yellow Springs, the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. She enjoyed reading books about theology and religion. She actively participated in the many varied communities of which she was a part, including Christ Episcopal Church. She loved her friends, maintaining a number of treasured friendships over great distances and across many years. Throughout her life, she remained close with her siblings and their families.
Weeks before her passing, Gina was the subject of an award-winning essay by her 13-year-old granddaughter, Mila, about inspiring women. She will forever be missed by all who knew and loved her.
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