ARKPORT-Virginia L. “Ginny” Bates peacefully passed at age 74 in her Arkport home early Monday, February 7th 2022, after a long battle.
Born in Rochester, NY on Feb 18th, 1947 to Leonard & Ferne Suss Nuijens,
Ginny grew up in Penfield, NY, where she graduated from high school in 1965 before receiving a Bachelor’s Degree from SUNY Oswego.
She was married to Robert “Bob” Bates in 1970, before moving to Arkport in 1975. Ginny spent over 30 years helping her community through her work at SCAP/Arbor Housing, where she helped improve the lives (and homes) of 1000’s of her neighbors across the Southern Tier. In the 1990’s, she was a key activist involved in the Anti-Nuclear Waste Dumping movement and was an integral part of successfully keeping our community free from radioactive contamination. She continued her work till the end.
At home, Ginny was a passionate creator and maker. Cooking was more than a means for her, it was a lifestyle, and has been called the “world’s best home cook” in major US and International publications and has had recipes published in Wine Spectator. Known for cooking dishes far ahead of her time, she influenced the world of cuisine through her love of cooking and creativity, which she has passed on through her son. Additionally, she was an avid gardener, pickler, home canner, soap and lotion maker and wrangler of cats, sheep, neighborhood children and other animals. Gin made a mean martini.
She was a voracious collector of cookbooks, plasticware and all things food and cooking. She was a fervent supporter of Penzy’s, F. Olivers and Asian grocers across NY.
She is survived by her husband Bob; son Christopher and his wife Isabel; brother Tom and wife Peggy; a VacMaster VP215 and god knows how many cats. She will live on in the hearts of many, many dear friends.
Ginny requests no calling hours and that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name be made to the Hornell Humane Society, 7649 Industrial Park Road, Hornell, NY 14843. And if you are buying, she will have an iced tea as well.
Funeral arrangements are in care of the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY.
To leave online condolences, or share a memory, visit www.dagonfuneralhome.com.
