FORT KENT and ASHLAND – Virginia Pinkham, a longtime resident of Fort Kent and Ashland, passed away peacefully April 10, 2010, at a hospital in Bremerton, Wash. Virginia was born and raised in Elizabeth, N.J., where she graduated from high school. She commuted to New Brunswick College for Women for one year before starting a three-year nursing program at New York Hospital’s School of Nursing. Virginia obtained a registered nurse degree from Cornell University School of Nursing, New York City, and later obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in public health nursing from Columbia University. While working as a visiting nurse for Standard Oil of New Jersey, she met Tom Pinkham, who was visiting his city cousin. Tom and Virginia were married the following year, while he was serving in the Air Force. During the war years, Virginia Pinkham worked as a nurse in her hometown and at Gould Memorial Hospital, Presque Isle, as a part-time private duty nurse. After the war and Tom’s discharge, the Pinkhams moved to Fort Kent where Tom joined his family in logging. Virginia worked as an office nurse in Fort Kent, and as a general duty nurse at Eagle Lake Hospital. In April 1953 Virginia gave birth to a son, Thomas Pinkham III. Throughout the years Virginia helped with Tom’s growing business, working the payroll and bookkeeping at their home office. She also did volunteer public health nursing in the Fort Kent schools, and formed a Future Nurses Club at the high school. Her attempts to start nursing classes at Fort Kent Teachers College in 1960 were unsuccessful. Virginia also stayed busy with church work, health and nursing activities, the American Cancer Society, Business and Professional Women, the Rotary and Boy Scouts. She also taught a health class for one year for college freshmen in Fort Kent. During the late 1950s through the early 1980s, Pinkham Lumber opened mills in Ashland, Nashville Plantation and Eagle Lake. The Pinkhams gave back to the community by building health centers in Ashland and Eagle Lake. Virginia carried on Tom Pinkham’s philanthropic works after his death in 1983. The Pinkham largess touched schools, scholars, churches, hospitals, health centers and businesses. At an age when most people have retired, Virginia Pinkham made some of her largest contributions to her community and to Aroostook County. She served for three years as school nurse in Ashland, Masardis and Portage; and she served as administrator at Aroostook Valley Health Center for five years, retiring at the age of 75. Until just a few years ago, Virginia continued her service to AVHC for seven years as a board member and remained active with the Rotary, as a Visiting Nurse Association Board Member, as a member of The Aroostook Medical Center Board and health group, with the BPW of Fort Kent, and a director of the University of Maine at Fort Kent Foundation. And most important of all, she accepted the Lord in March 2009. So I am sure she is having a glorious time in heaven. Virginia is a proud grandmother of seven and is a great-grandmother three times. She will be missed by her family, friends and the communities of Northern Maine that she served. Her service will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, April 18, at the elementary school auditorium in Ashland; doors open 2:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Union Congregational Church Benevolence Fund, P.O. Box 187, Ashland, ME 04732.
VIRGINIA S. PINKHAM
