Virginia Bartot

Virginia “Ginger” Harris Bartot, Ph.D., was born in New York City, N.Y., on February 12, 1941 to parents Theodore and Lydia Harris, and siblings Rosemary Abate and Theodore Harris, II. A natural beauty, Ginger was named Snow Queen during her senior year at Saint Catherine’s Academy, fashioning a gown for the occasion embroidered with red roses just like one she saw in Vogue Magazine alongside her talented mother. Ginger attended the University of Connecticut (U-CONN), where she met the love of her life, Morris N. Bartot. The couple married on November 26, 1960, and Ginger paused her formal education to start their family. While raising young children, Ginger was instrumental in starting the F.I.S.H. organization, helping less-advantaged women with transportation, healthcare, and other basic needs. Four children later, Ginger enrolled in Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, earning her Bachelor’s Degree with Phi Beta Kappa honors. The family moved with Ginger to Chicago, where she earned a full fellowship and her Master and Doctorate degrees in Sociology from the University of Chicago. Ginger was very active at the National Opinion Research Center (N.O.R.C), and the University of Chicago Research Lab, and acted as an instructor at the University of Chicago Sociology Department. Equally comfortable in the arts and homemaking as in the classroom, Ginger enjoyed renovating and decorating the homes she and Morris purchased over the 58 years of their marriage, painting beautiful flowers on the entrance floor of one. She could cook a gourmet meal, sew a professional-quality gown for any occasion, and rock any outfit. She loved Chicago’s vibrant offerings of food, theater, and the arts.The couple retired from their jobs at the University of Chicago to Galena, Illinois, where Ginger was a key player in the preservation of historic buildings, including the Belden School, and the education and health of its residents. She was very active in the creation of a scholarship for students in the Galena area. Ginger and Morris created a magical home away from home for their children and grandchildren, who loved to visit them in Galena and fashioned many dear memories there. Ginger is survived by her loving husband, Morris; her children Christopher (Lynette), Betsy Wallace (Paul), Amy Williams (Kevin), and James (Megan); her grandchildren Christine Rodriguez (Rodrigo), Rebecca Wallace, Madeline Bartot, Peter Bartot, Michael Bartot, Gwendolyn Bartot, Timothy Wallace, Massimo Bartot, and Caterina Bartot; great-grandchildren, Damien, Royce, Royal, and Rio Rodriguez; and sister, Rosemary Abate (Robert), and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother.Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 12:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Cumberland Chapels, 8300 W Lawrence Ave, Norridge, IL. All are welcome to attend. Memorials may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association at https://lbda.org/