Virginia Catherine Harmon of Little Silver, known to her nieces and nephews as Aunt Ginny and to her many friends as Virginia, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones, Jan. 8, 2023, at her home on Prospect Avenue. She was 88.
She was born Virginia Catherine Hoag, Feb. 2, 1934, on Lamport Road in the Stonehurst neighborhood of East Lansdowne in suburban West Philadelphia. She was the youngest child of Frank G. Hoag, a printer, and Margaret Kelly Hoag. Virginia’s older siblings, all now deceased, were Marguerite (1920-2010), Anne Regina (1926-2004) and Francis Jr. (1923-2016).
The Irish-American Hoag family first arrived in the U.S. in 1818. At the time of Virginia’s birth, the family had been in the Philadelphia area for 116 years. She was quite proud of her Irish ancestry.
In 1936, the Hoag family moved to 7226 Radbourne Road, also in Stonehurst, where they would remain until the early 1970s. Young Virginia attended St. Cyril’s Elementary School in Stonehurst and graduated in 1952 from Notre Dame High School in Moylan, Pennsylvania. Throughout the 1950s and early ’60s, Virginia worked as a secretary at a number of companies in Center City, Philadelphia, enjoying a lively social life and regularly vacationing with friends on the Jersey Shore and in the Poconos, as well as taking winter trips to the Bahamas and Puerto Rico. She also enjoyed spending time with her nieces and nephews, whom she loved very much.
In the summer of 1965 she met Edward George Harmon in Spring Lake. He was an electronics engineer at Fort Monmouth, originally from Massachusetts. They married in 1967, moved to Red Bank and later to Little Silver. Their only child, Edward Francis (Teddy, later Ed) was born Sept. 16, 1968. Virginia cherished being a mother to Teddy. After he graduated Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, Virginia returned to work as a secretary at Fort Monmouth. It was there that she excelled in her role as administrative assistant. She was very proud of the work she did, retiring from there in 2004 at the age of 70.
Ed Harmon Sr. died in 1999. Virginia remained in their home on Prospect Avenue. Her later years were saddened by the passing of her older sisters and brother and the untimely death of her beloved son in December 2016. In true fashion, Virginia carried on, however, supported as ever by her Catholic faith and benefitting from a circle of neighbors and friends who appreciated her always-upbeat, vivacious personality. It was her desire to remain in her home until she was called to her heavenly reward, reuniting her with her son, whom she missed, as well her husband, siblings and parents. Throughout the last two and a half years she was lovingly and meticulously attended to at home by her devoted care-giver Helena Capagal, an angel on earth.
Virginia is survived by her god-daughter and niece, Ginnie Goldovich and husband Ron of West Chester; her niece Anne Evans and husband Jim of Downingtown, Pennsylvania; her nephew John Suiter of Chicago; her niece Marianne Hoag Nunan and husband Tom of Ambler, Pennsylvania; her nephew Thomas Hoag and wife Teri, also of Ambler; a first cousin Miriam George Kelly of the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Immaculata, Pennsylvania; her best friend of 70 years Vera Ramundo of Lewes, Delaware; and her daughter-in-law Janice Halpern of Aberdeen, Maryland; as well as several great-nieces and nephews.
Virginia will be entombed, privately, with her son. A Mass of remembrance will be offered at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at her longtime parish, the Church of the Nativity, Fair Haven. Her nieces Ginnie and Nancie, and nephew John request that memorial donations be made in her name to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, honoring her son Edward Francis Harmon and her beloved nephew James Feehery, at supporting.afsp.org.
The article originally appeared in the February 2 – 8, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
