Virginia Kirk Flood

Virginia (nee Reilly) Kirk Flood

August 29, 1934 – August 5, 2023

Our dear mother and matriarch of our family passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 5, 2023, surrounded by her loving family.

Virginia, known to everyone as Ginger, had a zest for life and was always the life of the party, no one could keep her off the dance floor. Ginger was born on August 29, 1934, in Elizabeth where she was raised, and met the love of her life Edward F Kirk. They married on October 24, 1953, and raised seven children, Edward (Deborah Gervase, deceased), Lori, Thomas (Joseph Amico), Nancy (Mayor J. Christian) Bollwage, Timothy, Kathy, and Patricia (Jose) Leon.  They were married for 23 years, until Edward’s death on March 25, 1976. As a young widow, she went back to work at National State Bank where she started in Personnel and elevated to a Vice President, before she retired in 1995.

In August 1988, on a blind date with James (Jim) Flood she was lucky to find love a second time and they married on May 21, 1989. On that day she extended her family with seven additional children James (Amy), MaryEllen (Paul) Butterly, Laurie (Daniel) Sheldon, Peter, Thomas, Allison (Scott) Kellish, and David (Jane). They enjoyed a 2nd chance at love and traveled the world together, their favorite destination was Ireland. They also loved cruising with Ginger’s daughter Lori, her niece Lynda, and Ginger’s beloved sister Marie Read. Jim and Ginger had 21 wonderful years together before Jim passed away on March 17, 2010.

Ginger is survived by twenty-three grandchildren: Timothy (Laura Jones) Kirk, Tara (Nicola) Lebran, Emily Kirk, Cailee Kirk, Jacqueline Bollwage, Christopher Leon, Nicholas Leon, Matthew (Danielle) Butterly, Erin (Brad) Salkins, Brian Butterly, Daniel Sheldon, Katie Sheldon, Shannon Kellish, Patrick Kellish, Alec Kellish, Kaitlin Flood, Connor Flood, Declan Flood, Rowan Flood, Aidan Flood, Cameron Flood, Kevin Flood, and Sean Flood. And five Great-grandchildren: Roman Kirk, Isabella Kirk, Isabella Salkins, William Salkins and Christian Salkins.

In addition to Ginger being predeceased by her husbands’, she was predeceased by her parents George and Leola (Leonard) Reilly, her siblings Robert Reilly, Marie (Reilly) Read and George Reilly.

Ginger will be dearly missed by her sister-in-law Renee Szatkowski, daughter-in-law Mary Beth Grygiel Kirk, her many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, her friends, and her children’s friends.

While Ginger isn’t here with us any longer, her memories will live on forever and will always bring a smile to us all. We will always raise a glass to her on every occasion because she wouldn’t expect anything less. Slainte!

Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 10, 2023 from 4 to 8 PM at Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home, 582 Springfield Ave., Westfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, August 11, 2023 at 10:00 AM at St. Genevieve’s RC Church, 200 Monmouth Rd., Elizabeth. Interment will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Newark.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or Center for Hope Hospice.