Virginia Maxine Barritt

Virginia Maxine Barritt, 81, Venice, formerly of Boston, MA, died Feb 14, 2009. Survivors include her daughter Theresa Barritt and her children Laura and Evan of Halifax, Nova Scotia; son Christopher and wife Eleonore and their children Christina and Bryan and grandchilrdren Madeleine and Ross of Mt Airy, MD, and son Timothy and his wife Kathryn and children Sam and Allison of South Burlington, VT; and sisters Callie Hawkins,of Tulsa OK and Mary Helen Kiger of Largo FL Maxine was born in Christopher, Illinois and grew up in Fairfield on a farm, the youngest of 5 children born to Orlie and Mary Burkitt. She graduated from Washington University School of Nursing as an RN in 1948. She raised her family in Maryland outside Washington, D.C. She was active in community theater and local and national politics. Her muddy footprints made deep impression on the national mall during the Poor People’s Campaign March on Washington D.C. in Resurrection City in 1968. She spent summers on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1960’s in Lobsterville and ran The Capricorn House guest house in Oak Bluffs in the mid-1970’s. She resided in the South End of Boston for 27 years working with the community to establish more park space and took full advantage of the cultural richness in the area especially the Huntington Theater. She retired to Venice in 2002 where she again became active in local and national politics, working especially hard to create a natural park space from the old water treatment plant in Venice, and to elect Barak Obama to the White House. She loved the music and theater nightlife of Sarasota County. Especially dear to her was the deep friendship and spirit of community she found with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice.