1917 – 1983

Virginia Field Morrissey was born on March 11, 1917 to Leila Bone Field and Calvin Field on Sakonnet Point Road in Little Compton and died in 1983. She married Christopher “Pete” Morrissey in 1935 for almost fifty years.

She lived through many troubling times in the world during her life supported by her husband and family. But she also enjoyed many great things in life of which most important to her was her family. She had many major challenges in her life, such as when her father disappeared when she was five years old and never saw him again, she lost two brothers and a sister to early deaths, and all three brothers served their country in World War II at the same time.  She grew up with sparse surroundings in Little Compton, Rhode Island with her mother, two sisters and three brothers living in a converted barn with no electricity, radio, TV, no running water or a bathroom, only a well and an outhouse.Virginia’s mother Leila had a friend named Bridget Morrissey who also had a new baby named Christopher, and they were called “Ginny” and “Pete” by their parents and they immediately started sharing the same carriage as babies. Ginny’s mom Leila and Bridget would kid to each other and say how they would grow up and get married. Less than twenty years later Ginny and Pete were married in a clear example of “True Love at First Sight”.

They had four children together John born in 1938, Robert in 1939, Faith in 1946 and Peter in 1955. She endured to become a great person, a daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother of four, and grandmother of eight during her lifetime. She got to celebrate her birthday of March 11th with two other generations, her son and grandson, a unique experience.

Christmas was her very special time of the year and would ensure everyone received something little even if she had to do without things herself. She went to the Salvation Army, collected Green and Plaid Stamps, penny socials, yard sales and anything else to save money to get clothes and food for the kids. She saved wherever possible and brought things all year to be prepared. She used to get powdered milk and combined it with whole milk to double the amount of milk at half the cost. 

One of Virginia’s dreams was to get a driver’s license and she achieved it in the 1960s when she was in her mid-forties. This inspired her mother Leila to also want her license so Virginia would give her lessons and her mother got hers in her mid-sixties. 

It is said that you can not measure your life in the quantity of years but, the quality of those years and how you impact others. We had Ginny for a much shorter time than most but, she made a significant impact on all the lives she touched. 

Peter Morrissey, Son 

May 2020

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