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Elfriede ‘Ginny’ Van Scoy
Elfriede “Ginny” Van Scoy of Hampton Bays died at home on December 11, surrounded by her family. She was 94.
She was born on March 30, 1930, in Rostock, Germany, to Charlotte Rosenberg and Hermann Thibaut, and raised by her maternal grandparents in Strasen, Germany. At age 15, while working on a neighboring farm miles from her family home, she received news that Russian soldiers were approaching, and she could hear the gunfire as they advanced. In a split second decision, she joined a truck of evacuees that were headed toward safety in southern Germany. It was there she met Kenneth “Cap” Van Scoy Sr., an American soldier and the love of her life. They celebrated 65 years of marriage shortly before he died in 2015.
She is remembered for her generosity, her hospitality, her kindness, her great sense of humor, her love of polka dots, her joy in dancing the jitterbug, and her appreciation of good food. She was a loving mother, as well as a surrogate mom for many of her children’s friends, her family said. Married to a career U.S. Air Force man, she was an organized, guiding force for the family through many moves throughout the United States, as well as in Italy, England and Germany. She could create a sense of home in a day, and she made lifelong friends wherever she went, they said.
The couple returned to live in the Squiretown family homestead in 1990. They enjoyed friendships with their neighbors, many of whom stepped forward to help her after her husband died. They took great pleasure in visits from their children and extended family, as well as daily visits to the Shinnecock Inlet.
In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her son, Kenneth A. Van Scoy Jr.; son-in-law William Jeffrey Huff; and sister Reni Lietz. She is survived by her daughters, Claudia (Ray) Hidey of Ohio, Virginia Van Scoy of Massachusetts, Linda (Dean) Terchunian of Riverhead, Patricia Huff of Massachusetts; her daughter-in-law Pamela Van Scoy of Virginia; 12 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; five great-great grandchildren; extended family members in Germany; and former son-in-law Earl Gaddis.
A memorial service will be held at Scott-Rothwell Funeral Home in Hampton Bays on December 21, from 1-4 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be directed to East End Hospice (eeh.org), whose services enabled her to remain comfortable and in her own home until the end of her life.
Staff Writer on Dec 13, 2024