Virginia Medley Hawthorne went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, November 10, 2018. She was born May 8, 1931, in Medina, Ohio, to Lucia (Barksdale) Medley of Asheville, North Carolina and Henry Medley of Danville, Virginia.
“Ginn” attended Medina High School, and Schauffler College of Religious and Social Work (Case Western Reserve) in Cleveland, where she obtained both her Bachelors and Master’s Degrees in Social Work. Virginia served Summit County for several years in the area of Social work, culminating her years of employment in Akron, Ohio, at the Children’s Services Board. In November of 1985, Virginia began working with the AKIBA program that focused on black children in need of permanent adoption. Virginia retired from AKIBA and maintained contact with her co-workers for many years.
“Aunt Virginia” had a plethora of interests in addition to her career of helping people. Early in life, she began playing the violin as well as the piano. She enjoyed various genres of music, including classical and gospel. In the spring, you could find her out in the yard tending her Tiger lilies, Morning glories, and various vegetables. In the summer, she and her sister, “Aunt Boots”, would joke that they should go to Cleveland and offer the Cleveland Indians their pitching skills if the team wasn’t doing well that year. On Saturday nights, the bowling alley was where you would find her. Bowling gained her many friends including her lifelong bowling partner, Mr. James (Ed) Hawthorne.
Mrs. Hawthorne accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior early in life, at the Second Baptist Church in Medina, where her Father Henry was an Associate Pastor. “Mother Hawthorne” went on to become a founding member of Alpha and Omega Worship Center.
“Ginia” is preceded in passing by her parents, Lucia and Henry Medley, brothers, Carl (Julia) Medley, William Medley and Reverend John (Betty) Medley and sister, Ethel (Ed) Shackleford.
“Mom” is survived by her husband of 51 years, James Hawthorne; children, Don Hawthorne of Cleveland, OH, Julia Johnson of Akron, OH, James Hawthorne Jr. of Cleveland, OH, and Amy (Vernon) Sargent of Akron, OH; sister, Gladys (Fox) Henderson of Gahanna, Ohio; brother, Alan Medley of Redmond, Washington; grandchildren, Donya Childers, Dion Sherrod, Ennaoj Hawthorne, Donita Hawthorne, Reginald Hawthorne, and Kayla Bowens; Goddaughter, Bea Marchmon of Akron, OH and a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends, all of whom cherish her memory.