Virginia Mary (Ginny) Thiel, 74, died on January 1, 2023, in Hendersonville, North Carolina. A graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in English and Elementary Education, Ginny pursued her interests in a variety of business and academic settings. She was born in Evanston, Illinois, the youngest of the seven children of Ernest A. and Dorothy Baine Thiel. She lived in LaGrange, Illinois for the first 40 years of her life before moving to Hendersonville to be closer to her sister Dorothy. Throughout her life, Ginny acted as the family historian, remembering all the important stories and dates for several generations. She bonded with her father over their shared love of the outdoors and spent many vacations hiking and camping in Isle Royale National Park in Michigan and immersing herself in the beauty of Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. Ginny was a consummate cat lover and wrote several stories about her beloved feline companion, Tinkerbell. She read extensively on a wide variety of subjects and wrote poetry to encapsulate her memories and capture moments in time.

She is survived by her sister Barbara Keoughan of Skillman, New Jersey, her brother Ernest Thiel of Salida, Colorado and many cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Robert Thiel, and her sisters Patricia Brennan, Dorothy Lafeber and Catherine Quigg.

A chapel service will be held at 11am on Friday, January 20th at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines, Illinois. We will meet at the cemetery’s main office. Service will be followed immediately by a private interment. Arrangements entrusted to Hallowell & James Funeral Home in Countryside, Illinois. Funeral information: (708) 352-6500