Obituary of Virginia May

Virginia Marie May (Senft), 81, passed away April 6, 2023, after a lengthy battle with Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson’s disease. By her side for over 60 years was her loving husband, Guenther. Ginny was born in New Bedford, MA, to Florence (Tablas) and Paul Senft, on August 17, 1941. She graduated from New Bedford High School in 1959 and completed her Bachelor of Secretarial Science degree in 1961 from Bryant College where she received the “Golden Key” award for “outstanding scholastic achievement”. Working for Ropes & Gray as legal secretary in Boston she met the love of her life, Guenther, together they moved to Poughkeepsie, NY, to raise two children. Ginny was deeply involved in the community, volunteered at St John’s Lutheran Church and American Heart Association, and worked as office manager for Vassar Temple supporting Rabbi Arnold. Ginny became fluent in German when the family moved to Karlsruhe, Germany. She served as ambassador for the International Women’s Club, and German American Cooking Studio, traveled extensively throughout Europe promoting German American relations. Upon return to Poughkeepsie, NY, she co-owned MC Partners Inc specializing in English-German translation, joined Osram Corp (Siemens Corp) as bilingual executive assistant and achieved the role of Sr Manager Human Resources with Infineon Technologies (Siemens Microelectronics Inc.) at the time of her retirement. Ginny had a hobby for every season, sailing on the Hudson, skiing in the Catskills, playing tennis and bridge, she was always having the “best time ever”! Ginny was a contributor to Bard College TON musical events and supported the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition each year at Vassar College. Her passion for travel, nature and music took her many places, from apres ski in the Alps to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro to visiting childhood friends in New Bedford – the travel highlight of her life was cruising Alaska with Guenther for their wedding anniversary. Ginny’s fun-loving attitude and welcoming smile warmed everyone’s hearts, and her laughter got the party started! An avid piano/organ player, her yearly Christmas party sing-a-long was a hit with Cedar Ave. neighbors and long-time friends. Always the entertainer, Ginny enjoyed throwing parties and never missed one! In addition to her husband Guenther, Ginny is survived by her son Karl P. May and partner Kathy Edmonds of Millbrook, NY, daughter Erika M. Fitzgerald (May) of East Longmeadow, MA and several nieces and nephews. Mom filled our lives with love and laughter, we want to thank Kathy Edmonds, Lutheran Care Ctr/Adult Day Care, Friends & Family LLC, AccentCare, EverCare and the Alzheimer’s Association for their caring support. Calling hours will be held on Friday April 14, 2023, from 11:00am to 12:30pm at the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home, 371 Hooker Ave., Poughkeepsie, New York 12603, with funeral service from 12:30pm to 1:00pm. Burial will follow at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, 342 South Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Donations may be made to the Hudson Valley Chapter Alzheimers’s Association https://www.alz.org/hudsonvalley