First Posted: 1/13/2013

Virginia Foglia, 83, of Long Beach and Palm Springs, Calif., passed away Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, after a courageous battle with cancer.

Born Oct. 7, 1929, in Charleston, W.Va., Ginny was a daughter of the late Bernardo Benny Foglia and Teresa Russo Foglia.

Ginny was a graduate of Exeter High School, class of 1947. Later in life, she furthered her education at City College, New York City, and UCLA in California. Virginia relocated to Southern California in 1960 to become an office manager for the excavating firm of J.K. Harrison Inc. Twenty-five years later, she purchased the same company and became its president and CEO. Ginny’s firm was instrumental in supplying heavy equipment to local municipalities after the 1996 Northridge earthquake.

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Virginia traveled around the world many times, always collecting recipes to bring back to her beloved Gourmet Club. Ginny had many interests outside of her corporate life — most notably her involvement with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and the Palm Springs Film Festival, which she took part in every year.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her first brother, Bernard, in 1940; sisters, Lenore Molesky and her husband, Frank; Rose Ann Foglia; nephew, David Molesky; niece, Terry Giuliano; ex-husband, Robert Werts; and ex-mother in law, Mrs. Rolle, with whom Virginia had a wonderful relationship until her passing.

Ginny is survived by her brothers Bernard and his wife, Karen, Exeter; Richard and his wife, Dana, West Pittston, and Harveys Lake; nephew, James Molesky, Houston, Texas; nieces, Maria and Teresa, Oakland ,Calif.; great-nephew, Nicholas Barron, and his wife, Beth, Gloucester City, N.J.

A Memorial Mass was on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, at St. Barbara Parish in St. Anthony of Padua Church, 28 Memorial Ave., Exeter. Memorial donations may be made, if desired, to the Long Beach Symphony, 555 E. Ocean Blvd., Suite 106, Long Beach CA 90802, or your local chapter of the Humane Society, in memory of Ginny’s beloved dog, Prissy. To send the family an expression of sympathy or an online condolence, please visit www.gubbiottifh.com.