Virginia Allison Haywood

RaleighVirginia (Jinny) Louise Allison Haywood, age 94, died at home on February 1, 2013. Jinny was born on June 22, 1918, in Baltimore, Maryland, the fourth child of Isabel Shackford Allison and Robert Price Allison. As a child, Jinnys family moved often to accommodate her fathers work as a manager with the American Locomotive Company. They lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dunkirk, New York, Schenectady, New York, Montreal, Canada, and Richmond, Virginia. Jinny would tell you that she had the best parents and a wonderful, fun-filled childhood. Jinny attended Sweet Briar College before transferring to St. Marys College. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1941 with a bachelors degree in Home Economics. While at St. Marys, the school doctor, Dr. Hubert Haywood, Sr., met Jinny and was so impressed with her that he insisted that his son Hubert Haywood, Jr., meet her. After several parlor dates and months of correspondence, Jinny and Dr. Hubert B. Haywood, Jr., were married on October 17, 1942 in Richmond, Virginia. While her husband served as a flight surgeon in the 9th Air Force in Europe during War World II, Jinny obtained a masters degree in the History of Fine Arts from Ohio State University on an Alpha Phi sorority scholarship. After the war, the couple moved to Durham and Washington, D.C. while her husband completed his medical training in ophthalmology. In 1949, they returned to Raleigh where her husband established a medical practice. Bristling with energy and talent, Jinny could do anything. She intuitively understood how things worked and how to fix them. She sewed and knitted beautifully. An avid gardener, she was known for her boxwood and wildflower garden. She laid all the bricks in her driveway and walkways. A mother of four children, Jinny rejoiced in each of her children. She became locally famous for her Christmas tree ornaments. Every year for many years she produced thousands of exquisite Christmas ornaments, carefully cut with her jigsaw and painted by hand, each a work of art. Her ornaments have adorned many Christmas trees in Raleigh and will for years to come. Jinny was an active member of Christ Episcopal Church. She was also a member of a several clubs including the Johnsonian Book Club, The Circle Club, the Nine OClock Cotillion, the Carolina Country Club, and with her life-long friends, the Sewing Club. More than anything else Jinny will be remembered for her loving and generous nature. She never knew a stranger and was a wonderful grandmother and friend. When her daughters in law would call her, her first response was What can I do for you, honey? Jinny was predeceased by her parents, her brothers Robert Allison and Wallace Allison and her sisters Katherine Barker and Edith Worth. She is survived by her three (3) sons Hubert Benbury Haywood III of Raleigh (wife, Emmett), Robert Allison Haywood of Charlotte (wife, Gena) and Edmund Burke Haywood of Raleigh (wife, Terri) and her daughter, Marguerite Haywood Barney of Fairfield, CT (husband, Tim). She is also survived by her nine grandchildren: Lillian Haywood, Hubert Haywood IV, Allison Haywood Myers (husband Matt), Elizabeth Haywood, Burke Haywood, Jr., John Haywood, Virginia Barney, Timothy Barney and Isabella Barney and one great grandchild, Robert Myers. The family thanks Jinnys many neighbors and friends, young and old, for their affection and untold kindnesses, especially her friend and caregiver Funtela Mebane and dear friend Libbie Ward who played Scrabble with Jinny every Monday. The family would also like to express their appreciation to Lucy Kuria, Cecilia Mucugu, Veronica Kienyi, and Synicay Ievy for their loving and excellent care. The family will receive friends from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 2109 Banbury Road, Raleigh. Funeral services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 121 Edenton Street, Raleigh at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2013. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in Jinnys honor can be made to Christ Episcopal Church or St. Marys School. Funeral arrangements are by Bryan-Lee.