Virginia Evans McCormick

Virginia “Jennie” Evans McCormick died 9/19/24 at Worthington, Ohio. She was born October 10, 1934 at Newark, Ohio, a birth proudly announced by Ellis and Helen (Gebby) Evans in the Ayrshire Digest, the dairy breed’s national magazine. She grew up on Sharon View Farm between Newark and Granville, Ohio. She graduated from Newark High School, received a BA in Home Economics Education from Ohio Wesleyan University, a MS in Rural Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University, and PhD in Adult Education Administration from the Ohio State University. She taught at Tipp City, Ohio High School, served as Home Economics Extension Agent in Wilmington and Springfield, Ohio, was an Assistant State 4-H Leader at Pennsylvania State and Ohio State Universities, and a Professor of Home Economics Education at Ohio State and Iowa State Universities, where she also served as Assistant Dean and State Leader for Home Economics Extension. In 1972 she married Robert W. McCormick who preceded her in death in 2002. She is survived by a brother David Evans of Newark; step-children Nicola Myers of Westerville and Christopher (Cheryl) McCormick of Columbus; four grandchildren: Nathan Myers (Vidhya Ananthakrishnan); Andrea Myers (Sven Kahns); Drew McCormick (Amy Halls), and Stefan McCormick; and five great-grandchildren: Neela and Kailash Myers, Bell Roelle, Aiden and Ash McCormick. In retirement Jennie became a free-lance writer and local historian, authoring numerous journal articles and twelve books including A.B. Graham: Country Schoolmaster and Extension Pioneer; Farm Wife: A Self-Portrait, 1886-1896; New Englanders on the Ohio Frontier; and Educational Architecture in Ohio. As an active volunteer, she served as Historian of the Worthington Historical Society and docent for their Buttles-Johnson House museum; volunteer for the Ohio Historical Society Archives-Library and Historic Preservation Office; Columbus FirstLink; the Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library; tour guide at the Ohio State House; the Ohio State University Friends of the Libraries board; and webmaster for the Forum at Knightsbridge resident website. She received a Partner in Education award from the Worthington Schools, the Rose Award for volunteer service from the Ohio Historical Society, the William Henry Harrison award for biography from the Ohio Genealogical Society, and the Public Education and Awareness Award from the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. Cremation and private burial at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Worthington is entrusted to Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home at Worthington. Friends interested in contributing to Jennie’s memory may make a gift to the Worthington Historical Society or the Friends of the Ohio State University Library.

Virginia Evans McCormick

October 10, 1934 - September 19, 2024