Virginia (Harker) Waters

Virginia (Harker) Waters, 89, of Leonardo, passed away Saturday, May 13th. Virginia (“Ginny”) was born in Bayonne, New Jersey on August 6, 1933, a daughter of the late Grace and Edward  Harker. She was raised in Bayonne and summered at the Jersey Shore in Sea Bright. After marrying the love of her life, she and Alan moved to Pennsylvania for a few years before settling in Haddonfield, New Jersey in the mid-1960’s to raise their family. In the late 1980’s, Ginny and Alan moved to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. They lived there for 10 years before returning to New Jersey in 1999.

   Ginny graduated from the Katharine Gibbs School and then went to work for Standard Oil (ExxonMobile) in New York where she worked up the ladder to become the Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Board. 

   Ginny loved music and was a gifted piano player.  She also enjoyed dabbling with the ukelele.  She loved spending her summers at the beach in Sea Bright, where she met the love of her life, Alan Waters, when they were teenagers. She enjoyed swimming, fishing and rowing one of the family’s rowboats over to the island in the Shrewsbury River to explore. She was a strong rower, which came in handy years later when rescuing a cousin’s large dog that loved to chase motorboats down the river. In later years, Ginny enjoyed joining Alan on early-morning fishing trips to the ocean and Sandy Hook Bay. She made many memories during the years spent at their summer home in Sea Bright, with family and neighbors who also became family, and all who lived close by on the “back streets.”  And for a particular group of little girls, Ginny was revered and admired as the greatest defender of peach pickers.  She was a lover of all animals, but had a particularly large soft spot for dogs.  One of Ginny's favorite things to do was cook and entertain her family and friends during the holidays and at cookouts during the summer.  For many years, she was a member of multiple bowling leagues, and while living in North Carolina, she rediscovered her love of playing bridge. After returning to New Jersey in 1999, Ginny loved everything and anything that involved her grandson, Jacob, including T-Ball games, band performances, swimming, watching movies and so much more.  Ginny did things her way...she was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, independent and exceptionally smart and lived a full life.

   Ginny was predeceased by her beloved husband of 52 years, Alan C. Waters, in 2015 and their son, Timothy, in 2014. Her three brothers; George Harker, Edward Harker, Jr and Amos Harker, also preceded her.

   Ginny is survived by her daughter, Eleanor Waters; daughter-in-law, Laura Waters, and her grandson, Jacob Waters.

   In keeping with doing things her own way, Ginny did not want any fanfare for her funeral. The family will hold a private service on June 3rd from 11 - 12 noon.  A celebration of life is also being planned for later this year to honor Ginny and Alan, who both would have turned 90 in August and October, respectively.

   Please feel free to share memories and condolences on this page, and in lieu of flowers, consider making a memorial donation in Ginny's memory to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at  https://www.mskcc.org/ or by mail to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, P.O. Box 5028, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741-5028. 

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