Obituary of Virginia A. Spence

Bloomfield, CT - It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Virginia Ardis (Legro) Spence on August 4, 2019. She was a wonderful daughter, devoted and loving wife, mother, and mother-in-law, extraordinary grandmother, proud great-grandmother, faithful aunt and friend. She was 97. Virginia, the youngest of four children born to Harold W. Legro and Ethel F. (Swan) Legro, was born on May 15, 1922 in Peabody, Massachusetts. She graduated Peabody High School in 1939 and Chandler School for Women in Boston in 1941. Ginny married Leonard Spence in 1942, and they shared 66 beautiful years of love, partnership, parenthood, grandparenthood, and fun until Lenny passed away in 2008. She carried on after his death but was never complete again without “her Lenny.” She moved to Connecticut in 2012 at the age of 90 to be near her daughter and son-in-law. Until that time, she had lived in only three houses, all in Peabody, MA, and all within a stone’s throw of each other. She was brave to start a new chapter in Connecticut so late in life, and it was certainly not without its challenges for her. Virginia leaves her daughter, Linda Lydon and son-in-law, Austin Lydon of Bloomfield CT; her son, Kenneth Spence and daughter-in-law, Janet Spence of Ossipee NH; her daughter-in-law, Jan Hawes of Wolfeboro, NH ; four cherished grandchildren: Jay Spence and his wife, Julie of Newburyport MA, Tim Spence and his wife, Julie of Hollis NH, Jane Lydon of Dorchester MA, and Peter Lydon of New York, NY. In addition, five great- grandchildren: Cole, Owen, Molly, Avery, and Lauren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her dear husband Lenny, her sons, Thomas and William, and her three siblings, Donald, Kenneth, and Muriel. She was a special, faithful, and enduring presence in all of our lives. We will miss her devotion, unwavering support, and wonderful sense of humor. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at the Conway Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn Street, Peabody on Friday, September 20, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to visit the family prior to the service from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Peabody. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Plummer Youth Promise, 37 Winter Island Road, Salem, MA 01970.