Virginia Royce Dow, 88, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 27, at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH, surrounded by her family.

Ginny was born in Hartland on May 1, 1933, the youngest child of Philip Hastings Royce and Nora Plumley Royce. She received her schooling in Hartland and graduated from Windsor High School in 1951. After graduating from Northampton Commercial College, she worked at Dartmouth College until she married Kenneth M. Dow on September 17, 1960. Ken and Ginny spent the next four years in Hartford, Connecticut, while Ken worked at Pratt & Whitney. They returned to Hartland, built a house "up on the hill", and raised their five children there.

Beyond her family, Ginny's greatest joys were music and the community in which she lived. After learning to play the piano at the age of 4, she spent a lifetime sharing her talents with her community. Since 1967, she was the organist at the First Congregational Church in Hartland, and was one of the early organizers of the Hartland Variety Shows when they began in 1972. She continued for almost fifty years as accompanist for the Hartland Community Chorus, Hartland Community Arts productions at Damon Hall and Hartland Elementary School, frequent concerts at the Stoughton House and Cedar Hill in Windsor, and countless events in Hartland such as 8th grade graduations, weddings, and Memorial Day services.

Ginny returned to work when her youngest child started school, and eventually became the Assistant Town Clerk in Hartland. When Ken bought D&D Excavating in the Spring of 1986, she became a part-time adviser (and bookkeeper) of the family business. Retiring from the Town Clerk's office in 2003, and eventually from D&D, she still continued to play the organ at the church every Sunday, until she officially retired in 2021 after 54 years.

With Hartland in her blood, Ginny found much joy and friendship in her involvement with the church, musical events and productions, and activities of her children and grandchildren. One of her favorite days of the year was the Fourth of July, when Hartland would hold its annual Old Home Day, complete with a parade, concerts, and fireworks, an opportunity for her to play the piano and connect with the Hartland community. Most importantly, she had a special group of lifelong friends, who all grew up in Hartland and raised their families there. The camping trips, long summer days at the Pierce camp, birthday get-togethers, and a shared love for music were a large part of Ginny's life, and provided many happy memories for her and her family throughout the years. She was loved by many and will be greatly missed.

In her later years, she was often found reading, doing word searches and crossword puzzles, watching her beloved Boston Red Sox, and sharing quiet evenings with her pets, Annie the ever loyal dog and Boots and Mittens the somewhat mischievous cats. Ginny's most cherished moments were spending time with her children and her grandchildren. We are so thankful for the many years we had with her and the memories that will be kept in our hearts.

Ken passed away in December, 2012. She was also predeceased by her parents; her brothers, Philip P. Royce and his wife Louise, and Leon C. Royce; her sisters, Rachel Royce Clark and her husband Ken, and Mata Royce Kempton and her husband Leonard; her sister-in-law, Ruth Dow Doxter and her husband Leo; and her brother-in-law, Ned Dow. She is survived by Leon's wife, Marjorie.

She is also survived by her sons, Jerry K. Dow and his wife Martha, Jeffrey P. Dow, Mark E. Dow and his wife Janice, and Matthew S. Dow and his wife Deanna Busch, all of Hartland; her daughter, Cynthia Dow Fletcher and her husband David of Melrose, Mass.; her grandchildren, Sloan, Kyra, Jenna, Jaymie, Zachary, Jody, Adam, and Christopher; her great-grandchildren, Leonel, Adiela, Webster and the late Calloway; and many nieces and nephews.

Her family asks that you think of Ginny when you hear her favorite music (Joplin's Ragtime), smell her favorite flower (lilacs blooming in the Spring), or spend a morning on the back porch watching the hummingbirds.

A celebration of Ginny's life will be held on Wednesday, March 16th, at 6 PM in the dining hall of the First Congregational Church in Hartland, also known as the Hartland Brick Church. A funeral service for Ginny will be held on Saturday, May 14th, at 1 PM, at the church. A private burial will be next to Ken at the Hartland Village Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made in Ginny's name to the First Congregational Church of Hartland: 10 Station Road, Hartland, VT 05048, or Hartland Community Arts: PO Box 4, Hartland, VT 05048.