The Nantucket Independent August 2, 2006
Obituary
Virginia Ord
Virginia Cartwright Shepherd Ord died on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, with both of her children at her side. She was 77 years old.
Born on June 22, 1929 in Quantico, Virginia, she was the daughter of the late General Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, 20th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and Virginia Tunstall Driver Shepherd, both of Norfolk, Virginia and she was the widow of the late Colonel James Basevi Ord Jr., also of the United States Marine Corps. She is survived by her daughter, her son, and his son, all of Nantucket.
A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Fair Street at 11:00AM on Saturday, August 5th.
Soon after her birth the Shepherds moved with their three children to Haiti. This move was the first of many that Virginia made throughout her life as both the daughter and wife of Marine Corps Officers. When Virginia, then called Siddie, was about five years old, the family returned to the United States, but continued to move from post to post: Washington D.C., Newport and again, Quantico. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the Shepherds made their way across country in a 1931 Dodge to La Jolla, California, a drive made all the more arduous by the fact that young Siddie and her brother Deedee fought the whole way.
Once in La Jolla, Virginia attended the Bishops School and developed a love for the outdoors, swimming in particular, that stayed with her throughout her life. In 1943 the family, sans father who was leading the Sixth Marine Division in combat, returned to Charlottesville, Virginia, where Siddie attended the St. Anne's School as part of the class of 1949.
Virginia was a serious and somewhat shy girl who found school challenging.
She was older than her classmates and made her Norfolk debut while still in boarding school, a scenario which necessitated chaperoned dates! Though Virginia attended the Baltimore School of Art, she did not go to college. The regret she felt for this omission fueled an intellectual curiosity that burned within her for the rest of her days, but at the time, any plans she may have had for the future were eclipsed soon after her agreement to take dancing classes with her father's aide de camp, a young captain named Jimmy Ord. The two of them were married in Honolulu in April 1951.
With young children to raise and her husband overseas, Virginia found fortitude in her faith and before she was 30, began a practice of daily prayer and contemplation, which she upheld for the rest of her life. The family continued to move from pillar to post: North Carolina, Virginia, England for five years and Hawaii for a total of 10 years spread across three separate periods in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. While living on Oahu in the 1970s, she was actively involved with the Outdoor Circle and was very proud of their successful campaign to keep billboards off of the highways that ran through the incomparably beautiful Koolau mountains.
In 1974 Colonel Ord suffered a severe stroke and Virginia took care of him at home for the next 23 years through his rehabilitation and his subsequent invalidism, until his death in 1997. It was in 1978 having spent a scant five days on Nantucket in the middle of the summer, that the Ords decided to leave Hawaii and move to the island year round. Virginia joined the congregation of St. Paul's and served the community in every way that she could, whether she was visiting the homebound, giving rides to church, polishing brass or delivering meals on wheels. She also maintained a tireless campaign of letter writing on behalf of Amnesty International. Her involvement in these efforts, as in so much else in her life was one of quiet, self-effacing perseverence. She did not seek the limelight; she wished only to serve others, and it was her fervent prayer that God's will would grow within her.
In 2001, Virginia began to suffer a long series of debilitating strokes.
Though eventually robbed of her ability to walk, swallow or speak, she was in no way incommunicado. She remained happily at home with her border terriers and cared for by her two children. She continued to emanate warmth, serenity and love to all those who were fortunate enough to spend even a moment by her side. Her good humor never left her, and it just so happened that she chuckled on the day she died. Heaven is a brighter place with her in it.
Obituary
Virginia Ord
Virginia Cartwright Shepherd Ord died on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, with both of her children at her side. She was 77 years old.
Born on June 22, 1929 in Quantico, Virginia, she was the daughter of the late General Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, 20th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and Virginia Tunstall Driver Shepherd, both of Norfolk, Virginia and she was the widow of the late Colonel James Basevi Ord Jr., also of the United States Marine Corps. She is survived by her daughter, her son, and his son, all of Nantucket.
A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Fair Street at 11:00AM on Saturday, August 5th.
Soon after her birth the Shepherds moved with their three children to Haiti. This move was the first of many that Virginia made throughout her life as both the daughter and wife of Marine Corps Officers. When Virginia, then called Siddie, was about five years old, the family returned to the United States, but continued to move from post to post: Washington D.C., Newport and again, Quantico. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the Shepherds made their way across country in a 1931 Dodge to La Jolla, California, a drive made all the more arduous by the fact that young Siddie and her brother Deedee fought the whole way.
Once in La Jolla, Virginia attended the Bishops School and developed a love for the outdoors, swimming in particular, that stayed with her throughout her life. In 1943 the family, sans father who was leading the Sixth Marine Division in combat, returned to Charlottesville, Virginia, where Siddie attended the St. Anne's School as part of the class of 1949.
Virginia was a serious and somewhat shy girl who found school challenging.
She was older than her classmates and made her Norfolk debut while still in boarding school, a scenario which necessitated chaperoned dates! Though Virginia attended the Baltimore School of Art, she did not go to college. The regret she felt for this omission fueled an intellectual curiosity that burned within her for the rest of her days, but at the time, any plans she may have had for the future were eclipsed soon after her agreement to take dancing classes with her father's aide de camp, a young captain named Jimmy Ord. The two of them were married in Honolulu in April 1951.
With young children to raise and her husband overseas, Virginia found fortitude in her faith and before she was 30, began a practice of daily prayer and contemplation, which she upheld for the rest of her life. The family continued to move from pillar to post: North Carolina, Virginia, England for five years and Hawaii for a total of 10 years spread across three separate periods in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. While living on Oahu in the 1970s, she was actively involved with the Outdoor Circle and was very proud of their successful campaign to keep billboards off of the highways that ran through the incomparably beautiful Koolau mountains.
In 1974 Colonel Ord suffered a severe stroke and Virginia took care of him at home for the next 23 years through his rehabilitation and his subsequent invalidism, until his death in 1997. It was in 1978 having spent a scant five days on Nantucket in the middle of the summer, that the Ords decided to leave Hawaii and move to the island year round. Virginia joined the congregation of St. Paul's and served the community in every way that she could, whether she was visiting the homebound, giving rides to church, polishing brass or delivering meals on wheels. She also maintained a tireless campaign of letter writing on behalf of Amnesty International. Her involvement in these efforts, as in so much else in her life was one of quiet, self-effacing perseverence. She did not seek the limelight; she wished only to serve others, and it was her fervent prayer that God's will would grow within her.
In 2001, Virginia began to suffer a long series of debilitating strokes.
Though eventually robbed of her ability to walk, swallow or speak, she was in no way incommunicado. She remained happily at home with her border terriers and cared for by her two children. She continued to emanate warmth, serenity and love to all those who were fortunate enough to spend even a moment by her side. Her good humor never left her, and it just so happened that she chuckled on the day she died. Heaven is a brighter place with her in it.
The Nantucket Independent August 2, 2006
Obituary
Virginia Ord
Virginia Cartwright Shepherd Ord died on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, with both of her children at her side. She was 77 years old.
Born on June 22, 1929 in Quantico, Virginia, she was the daughter of the late General Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, 20th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and Virginia Tunstall Driver Shepherd, both of Norfolk, Virginia and she was the widow of the late Colonel James Basevi Ord Jr., also of the United States Marine Corps. She is survived by her daughter, her son, and his son, all of Nantucket.
A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Fair Street at 11:00AM on Saturday, August 5th.
Soon after her birth the Shepherds moved with their three children to Haiti. This move was the first of many that Virginia made throughout her life as both the daughter and wife of Marine Corps Officers. When Virginia, then called Siddie, was about five years old, the family returned to the United States, but continued to move from post to post: Washington D.C., Newport and again, Quantico. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the Shepherds made their way across country in a 1931 Dodge to La Jolla, California, a drive made all the more arduous by the fact that young Siddie and her brother Deedee fought the whole way.
Once in La Jolla, Virginia attended the Bishops School and developed a love for the outdoors, swimming in particular, that stayed with her throughout her life. In 1943 the family, sans father who was leading the Sixth Marine Division in combat, returned to Charlottesville, Virginia, where Siddie attended the St. Anne's School as part of the class of 1949.
Virginia was a serious and somewhat shy girl who found school challenging.
She was older than her classmates and made her Norfolk debut while still in boarding school, a scenario which necessitated chaperoned dates! Though Virginia attended the Baltimore School of Art, she did not go to college. The regret she felt for this omission fueled an intellectual curiosity that burned within her for the rest of her days, but at the time, any plans she may have had for the future were eclipsed soon after her agreement to take dancing classes with her father's aide de camp, a young captain named Jimmy Ord. The two of them were married in Honolulu in April 1951.
With young children to raise and her husband overseas, Virginia found fortitude in her faith and before she was 30, began a practice of daily prayer and contemplation, which she upheld for the rest of her life. The family continued to move from pillar to post: North Carolina, Virginia, England for five years and Hawaii for a total of 10 years spread across three separate periods in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. While living on Oahu in the 1970s, she was actively involved with the Outdoor Circle and was very proud of their successful campaign to keep billboards off of the highways that ran through the incomparably beautiful Koolau mountains.
In 1974 Colonel Ord suffered a severe stroke and Virginia took care of him at home for the next 23 years through his rehabilitation and his subsequent invalidism, until his death in 1997. It was in 1978 having spent a scant five days on Nantucket in the middle of the summer, that the Ords decided to leave Hawaii and move to the island year round. Virginia joined the congregation of St. Paul's and served the community in every way that she could, whether she was visiting the homebound, giving rides to church, polishing brass or delivering meals on wheels. She also maintained a tireless campaign of letter writing on behalf of Amnesty International. Her involvement in these efforts, as in so much else in her life was one of quiet, self-effacing perseverence. She did not seek the limelight; she wished only to serve others, and it was her fervent prayer that God's will would grow within her.
In 2001, Virginia began to suffer a long series of debilitating strokes.
Though eventually robbed of her ability to walk, swallow or speak, she was in no way incommunicado. She remained happily at home with her border terriers and cared for by her two children. She continued to emanate warmth, serenity and love to all those who were fortunate enough to spend even a moment by her side. Her good humor never left her, and it just so happened that she chuckled on the day she died. Heaven is a brighter place with her in it.
Obituary
Virginia Ord
Virginia Cartwright Shepherd Ord died on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, with both of her children at her side. She was 77 years old.
Born on June 22, 1929 in Quantico, Virginia, she was the daughter of the late General Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, 20th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and Virginia Tunstall Driver Shepherd, both of Norfolk, Virginia and she was the widow of the late Colonel James Basevi Ord Jr., also of the United States Marine Corps. She is survived by her daughter, her son, and his son, all of Nantucket.
A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Fair Street at 11:00AM on Saturday, August 5th.
Soon after her birth the Shepherds moved with their three children to Haiti. This move was the first of many that Virginia made throughout her life as both the daughter and wife of Marine Corps Officers. When Virginia, then called Siddie, was about five years old, the family returned to the United States, but continued to move from post to post: Washington D.C., Newport and again, Quantico. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the Shepherds made their way across country in a 1931 Dodge to La Jolla, California, a drive made all the more arduous by the fact that young Siddie and her brother Deedee fought the whole way.
Once in La Jolla, Virginia attended the Bishops School and developed a love for the outdoors, swimming in particular, that stayed with her throughout her life. In 1943 the family, sans father who was leading the Sixth Marine Division in combat, returned to Charlottesville, Virginia, where Siddie attended the St. Anne's School as part of the class of 1949.
Virginia was a serious and somewhat shy girl who found school challenging.
She was older than her classmates and made her Norfolk debut while still in boarding school, a scenario which necessitated chaperoned dates! Though Virginia attended the Baltimore School of Art, she did not go to college. The regret she felt for this omission fueled an intellectual curiosity that burned within her for the rest of her days, but at the time, any plans she may have had for the future were eclipsed soon after her agreement to take dancing classes with her father's aide de camp, a young captain named Jimmy Ord. The two of them were married in Honolulu in April 1951.
With young children to raise and her husband overseas, Virginia found fortitude in her faith and before she was 30, began a practice of daily prayer and contemplation, which she upheld for the rest of her life. The family continued to move from pillar to post: North Carolina, Virginia, England for five years and Hawaii for a total of 10 years spread across three separate periods in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. While living on Oahu in the 1970s, she was actively involved with the Outdoor Circle and was very proud of their successful campaign to keep billboards off of the highways that ran through the incomparably beautiful Koolau mountains.
In 1974 Colonel Ord suffered a severe stroke and Virginia took care of him at home for the next 23 years through his rehabilitation and his subsequent invalidism, until his death in 1997. It was in 1978 having spent a scant five days on Nantucket in the middle of the summer, that the Ords decided to leave Hawaii and move to the island year round. Virginia joined the congregation of St. Paul's and served the community in every way that she could, whether she was visiting the homebound, giving rides to church, polishing brass or delivering meals on wheels. She also maintained a tireless campaign of letter writing on behalf of Amnesty International. Her involvement in these efforts, as in so much else in her life was one of quiet, self-effacing perseverence. She did not seek the limelight; she wished only to serve others, and it was her fervent prayer that God's will would grow within her.
In 2001, Virginia began to suffer a long series of debilitating strokes.
Though eventually robbed of her ability to walk, swallow or speak, she was in no way incommunicado. She remained happily at home with her border terriers and cared for by her two children. She continued to emanate warmth, serenity and love to all those who were fortunate enough to spend even a moment by her side. Her good humor never left her, and it just so happened that she chuckled on the day she died. Heaven is a brighter place with her in it.
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