Virginia Helen McConnell

Former Southold resident Virginia Helen McConnell died July 4, 2021, in Oceanside, Calif. She had just turned 80.

Virginia was born July 3, 1941, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and spent her childhood in Manhattan and the Bronx. She met the love of her life, Stephen, at Evander Childs High School and they were married at Our Lady of Grace Church in the Bronx on May 27, 1961. Virginia worked as a secretary and hospital administrator, while raising her family in the Bronx, Long Island and New Jersey, before retiring in Oceanside. She and Steven spent a number of years in Southold during the early 1970s, and she worked at Southold Savings Bank.

Virginia loved to travel and spend time with her family and friends. She was an avid reader and proficient writer who wrote an ongoing column in the Ocean Hills Village Voice Newsletter called “Guess Who.” In recent months she contributed additional personal stories of interesting childhood experiences, mostly during the World War II era.

She is survived by her devoted husband of 60 years, Stephen J. McConnell; her daughter, Eva Hoffman; son Stephen McConnell (Gina); sister, Theresa Hackett (William); and grandchildren, Eric McConnell, Ryan Custer, Adam Custer (Maggi), Mark Hoffman, Cassandra Morano (Mike), and Connor Hoffman.