Virginia Kelly Mortimer ’57

Virginia Kelly Mortimer ’57, of Simsbury, Conn.; Dec. 23. She worked at Southern New England Telephone before starting a family. In 1967, she and her husband founded the Periodical Corp., a printing and publishing company in West Hartford, Conn. She retired in 1994. She worked with her husband, both professionally and on many charitable projects, including recruiting and shipping medicine, hospital equipment, books and supplies for Episcopal schools and medical facilities in the (Palestine) Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. She volunteered for the Evangelism Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut importing olive wood crosses from Bethlehem and selling them to American Christian churches. In 1985 she founded the Barnabas Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation that makes gifts primarily for Christian endeavors. She was a lifelong knitter and enjoyed making prayer shawls for people in hospitals and nursing homes. She is survived by her husband, Laird; a daughter; and a grandson.