Virginia May Jeppesen

Virginia May (“Ginny”) Jeppesen, 88, of Lexington, Kentucky, died on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at The Breckinridge, an Alzheimer’s Residence in Lexington, Kentucky. Ginny was born in Park Rapids, Minnesota on July 12, 1932. She spent most of her childhood in Portland, Oregon. Ginny received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Western Oregon University (formerly known as the Oregon College of Education) and her Master of Education and Doctor of Education from the University of Oregon. She is preceded in death by her parents, John M. Jeppesen and Louisa May Conkey Jeppesen and four siblings: James Edward (Jim) Jeppesen, Jack Lawrence Jeppesen, Charles Arthur (Chuck) Jeppesen, and Laura Jane (Laurie) Nielsen. Ginny was the youngest of six children. Her sister, Margaret Louise (“Marge”) Alldredge, resides in Sebring, Florida. She is survived by: her life partner, Mitzi R. Vernon of Lexington, Kentucky; one sister, Margaret Alldredge of Sebring, Florida; multiple nieces and nephews, her glorious dog, Willow, and an uncountable number of people whose lives she touched as friend, teacher, counselor, musician, and consummate listener. Ginny was an unstoppable traveler, and in addition to multiple journeys across the globe, she lived in Europe for four years in the mid-1960s, working for the Department of Defense as a counselor for military families at Kaiserslautern Army Base. After returning to the States, she completed her graduate education and spent several decades in education as a K-12 teacher, district counselor, dean of students, supervisor of student teachers at Northwest Christian College, and as an instructor at the University of Oregon. Ginny moved to Blacksburg, Virginia in 2004 to join Mitzi. In 2015, the two moved to Lexington, Kentucky when Mitzi joined the University of Kentucky faculty as Dean of the College of Design. We are none perfect, but Ginny was so very close. The most centered individual, capable of extraordinary empathy, brimming every single day with laughter and hope, and confidence without hubris. She was magical with children and well-known for her epic smile, sky-blue eyes and ability to make anyone feel like the most important person in the room. She had an insatiable interest in American history, was a careful and fierce stamp collector of many countries, and reveled in classical music and opera. She was an avid horn player, playing first chair for the Portland Junior Symphony (now known as the Portland Youth Philharmonic, the oldest youth orchestra in the United States) and performing under Jacques Gershkovitch, the inaugural conductor. With a tested IQ of 160, she was unmatchable at crossword puzzles and comprehending any concept. That magnificent brain will continue to provide insight for Alzheimer’s research as part of a longitudinal study at the Sanders-Brown Center for Aging. Gifts in memory of Ginny can be made to the Virginia Jeppesen Memorial Scholarship endowment in the School of Music & Dance at the University of Oregon. This endowment is designed for music students majoring in the horn. Checks can be made payable to the University of Oregon Foundation and mailed to 1720 E. 13th Avenue, Eugene, OR, 97403 with a memo stating: in support of the Virginia Jeppesen Memorial Scholarship. Please send inquiries regarding the scholarship to Michelle Glenn: [email protected]. Online giving will be available soon using the following link: https://giving.uoregon.edu. Click on the “Make a Gift” category. Then, there are two ways to earmark a gift to the scholarship fund. Type in “Virginia Jeppesen Memorial Scholarship” in the box next to “additional gift instructions.” Or click on “I want to view additional options” and then search by the fund name. Celebrations of Ginny’s life will be held at future dates, and a small biography is planned for Ginny. Please send any written expressions of sympathy or sharable stories to Mitzi Vernon at 350 E. Short St. Unit 332 Lexington, KY 40507 or [email protected].