DELMAR — Virginia Ellen Colton, a strong woman who had a lifetime career as a secretary, died on Thursday, May 31, 2018. She was 93.

“Ginny was a vibrant, intelligent woman who persevered through good times and bad,” said her cousin Helen Lounsbury.

She was born on June 11, 1924 in Clarksville, the daughter of the late John and Bessie Snyder Lounsbury.

A graduate of Albany Business College, Mrs. Colton loved music and enjoyed playing the organ.

“Moving through life, we meet a lot of people and develop many friendships. It is those few people that we make part of the family by choice,” wrote Mark Reynolds in a tribute to Mrs. Colton. Mr. Reynolds and his wife, Kristy, were dear friends of Mrs. Colton.

“Ginny and Pete Colton were our family by choice. Pete passed more than 20 years ago, leaving Ginny to continue on without him,” wrote Mr. Reynolds. “For years, we debated blood relations and found shared last names from four generations back. Not knowing for sure if there really was a blood relation, we became a family of choice.

“Virginia was a strong, straightforward, no-nonsense woman. She loved playing the organ, eating ice cream and candy, and having stimulating conversations. We enjoyed coffee and ice cream in her dining area, watching the birds at the feeders, sharing the trials and tribulations of life.

“She provided sound advice and countenance whenever asked. She especially enjoyed talking about family history during rides through the Catskills and Helderbergs — visits to places important to her past.”

Mrs. Colton liked stopping for lunch, brunch, or ice cream in Rensselaerville, Greenville, Westerlo, or Berne; the stops, Mr. Reynolds said, “were always a treat.”

Mrs. Colton lived most of her life on Hoyt Avenue in Delmar. Late in life, she moved to East Berne and resided with her cousin Patrick Lounsbury and his wife, Helen, until becoming a resident of the Good Samaritan Lutheran Nursing Home in Delmar.

At the nursing home, Mrs. Lounsbury said, “She could be found whizzing through the halls and talking to one and all. She died following an illness of less than 24 hours, and just weeks before her 94th birthday. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.”

“Virginia and Pete Colton are now together again,” said Mr. Reynolds. “We miss you both. God bless.”

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Virginia Ellen Colton is survived by her only child, Jan Colton Opeka-Lozano; by her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren; by her sister, Ruth Lounsbury Pedersen; and by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Her husband, Peter Joseph Colton, died before her as did her brother-in-law, Robert Pedersen.

A special thank-you to her cousins who were her long-time caregivers, Bettejean Mueller, Sandra Ross, and Patrick Lounsbury Sr.

At the request of her family, services will be private.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer