Virginia Keating Greiner
May 8, 1931 ~ April 8, 2022
Virginia (Keating) Greiner passed away early in the morning of Friday, April
8th after a long, great relationship with life. Born May 8, 1931 to Daniel and
Rita Keating of Albany, New York, she was the middle of three children.
After graduating with a degree in English from Cornell University, she
worked as a freelance reporter while traveling with her sister out west for a
short period of time. She returned to New York writing for the
Albany Times Union’s society pages and eventually secured a job with
Women’s Wear Daily in New York City. She then relocated to Washington
DC covering D.C. fashion and more specifically Jackie Kennedy. This made
her one of the first ever women to be a part of the White House Press Corps.
She met Jerome Greiner in the spring of 1962 and they were married
November of that year. The newlyweds set sail for Viet Nam. It was in
September of 1963 that Virginia gave birth to her first son, Michael, in
Saigon. They were also blessed with 3 more sons. A final overseas tour in the
early 1970s took the Greiners to Thailand before the family settled into a
more domestic life in Vienna, VA.
Virginia spent some time as a personal assistant to political reporter Nancy
Dickerson. However Virginia returned to her fist career of
newspaper reporting. This time combining her writing skills with her love of
gardening. While it is difficult working for competing newspapers
simultaneously, she was able to convince one to use her maiden name and the
other to use her married name. For several years she wrote a weekly garden
column for the Washington Times entitled “Earthly Delights” that won
multiple awards for best garden column in the nation in the mid-1980s.
Over the years, Virginia volunteered helping youngsters with their reading,
and with a neighborhood friend, delivered Meals on Wheels for 25 years. A
gifted pianist, she enjoyed playing her grand piano for family and friends as
well as for her own pleasure up until just weeks before her death. More
important than her careers, her volunteering, and her gardening, was her
family. She loved to gather the clan for special occasions and family home
meals. For years there were family reunions in New York and once her
children were grown with families of their own many holidays were spent
gathered around the dining table and a yearly vacation in Bethany, DE.
Virginia is preceded in death by her parents, husband Jerome, first son
Michael, sister Constance (Keating) Elliot and brother-in-law John Elliot. She
is survived by her sons Nicholas (Jennifer), Justin (Denise), Jeremy (Sarah), Micheal's recently remarried wife Khristie, brother Robert Keating (Ruth), eleven grandchildren, three great grand children and numerous nieces and nephews.
Given her love of flowers, in lieu of sending flowers to the funeral, buy yourself some flowers (or even
better, grow some yourself) and/or make a donation to the charity of your
choice.
There will be a visitation on Friday, April 22, 2022 at 12:00 Noon, followed
by a Mass of Christian Burial, inurnment in the Memorial Garden, and
reception, all at St Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA.
8th after a long, great relationship with life. Born May 8, 1931 to Daniel and
Rita Keating of Albany, New York, she was the middle of three children.
After graduating with a degree in English from Cornell University, she
worked as a freelance reporter while traveling with her sister out west for a
short period of time. She returned to New York writing for the
Albany Times Union’s society pages and eventually secured a job with
Women’s Wear Daily in New York City. She then relocated to Washington
DC covering D.C. fashion and more specifically Jackie Kennedy. This made
her one of the first ever women to be a part of the White House Press Corps.
She met Jerome Greiner in the spring of 1962 and they were married
November of that year. The newlyweds set sail for Viet Nam. It was in
September of 1963 that Virginia gave birth to her first son, Michael, in
Saigon. They were also blessed with 3 more sons. A final overseas tour in the
early 1970s took the Greiners to Thailand before the family settled into a
more domestic life in Vienna, VA.
Virginia spent some time as a personal assistant to political reporter Nancy
Dickerson. However Virginia returned to her fist career of
newspaper reporting. This time combining her writing skills with her love of
gardening. While it is difficult working for competing newspapers
simultaneously, she was able to convince one to use her maiden name and the
other to use her married name. For several years she wrote a weekly garden
column for the Washington Times entitled “Earthly Delights” that won
multiple awards for best garden column in the nation in the mid-1980s.
Over the years, Virginia volunteered helping youngsters with their reading,
and with a neighborhood friend, delivered Meals on Wheels for 25 years. A
gifted pianist, she enjoyed playing her grand piano for family and friends as
well as for her own pleasure up until just weeks before her death. More
important than her careers, her volunteering, and her gardening, was her
family. She loved to gather the clan for special occasions and family home
meals. For years there were family reunions in New York and once her
children were grown with families of their own many holidays were spent
gathered around the dining table and a yearly vacation in Bethany, DE.
Virginia is preceded in death by her parents, husband Jerome, first son
Michael, sister Constance (Keating) Elliot and brother-in-law John Elliot. She
is survived by her sons Nicholas (Jennifer), Justin (Denise), Jeremy (Sarah), Micheal's recently remarried wife Khristie, brother Robert Keating (Ruth), eleven grandchildren, three great grand children and numerous nieces and nephews.
Given her love of flowers, in lieu of sending flowers to the funeral, buy yourself some flowers (or even
better, grow some yourself) and/or make a donation to the charity of your
choice.
There will be a visitation on Friday, April 22, 2022 at 12:00 Noon, followed
by a Mass of Christian Burial, inurnment in the Memorial Garden, and
reception, all at St Mark Catholic Church in Vienna, VA.
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Nicholas, Justin and Jeremy,
I just learned of your mom’s passing. She was such a strong willed, kind and loving woman. She was truly a force of nature. I so enjoyed spending time with her and Jerry throughout my life. My parents valued their deep friendship. They would always tell the story that when your parents were off to Vietnam, my Dad wrote them a card telling them “nothing could be finer than Spring in Indo-China. When my brother John died they insisted in attending his memorial service even though my parents didn’t invite any of their friends. I think they just couldn’t face them.
I miss them both, their intellect, humor and caring nature. Sending my condolences to the entire family.
Best,
Suzy Littell