Virginia Ginny Mccabe

SCHENECTADY - Virginia “Ginny” McCabe, age 96, passed peacefully after a brief illness, on Friday, September 15, 2023.

Ginny was the daughter of the late Michael and Helen (Anibal) Connors and was born in Schenectady where she spent her childhood. She graduated from Nott Terrace High School and then tried her hand at nursing school. She was not cut out for a nursing career and returned to Schenectady where she met the love of her life, Conway “Mac” McCabe. They married and moved into their house in Rotterdam, where she lived until three years ago. Needing some assistance, she moved into Kingsway Independent Living where the caring staff watched over Ginny and made sure she came back from her daily walks to the duck pond.

Her next career move was into the financial world where she excelled at accounting and office management. Her first job was in banking, working for Industrial Bank of Schenectady. She excelled in the financial world, eventually retiring from accounting at Burns Management, a local real estate company managing assets and property. If Ginny had been born in a more recent generation, she would have climbed up the ladder to become CEO of a successful company. Her determination, her skill with numbers, and her work ethic inspired many of us. Her marriage was a bit unconventional for the times, in that Mac was more domestic than Ginny, and did all the cooking. She was one of the original feminists and a role model for her nieces.

Ginny and Mac were not blessed with children of their own, but they had several nieces and nephews whom they doted on. We all remember Uncle Mac and Aunt Ginny as the fun relatives, and we loved going to holidays at their home. They had the coolest furniture from the 1950’s and Ginny, as a working woman, had the most glamorous wardrobe. The adults smoked cigarettes, drank a bit, and watched football while we kids were permitted to do what we wanted. In summer we played croquet in the backyard and when the weather grew colder, we explored the woods at the end of their street or played ping pong in the basement. When we were older, we would join in the very heated political discussions around the dining room table. Ginny and Mac were both of Irish heritage and greatly admired President Kennedy.

Ginny’s faith was very important to her and she was a long-time communicant of St. Gabriel the Archangel Church in Rotterdam. Even in her final days when she didn’t feel the best, she went to Mass on Sunday. After retiring from her job, she donated her time to the Dominican Retreat House, assisting with mailing and other tasks. She also volunteered at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital.

Unfortunately, she lost Mac in 1989 and had to face her life without the man she loved.  She became a traveler with her life-long friend Judith Pagois, another widow. They had adventures in Maine, Alaska, Italy, and even visited the Holy Land in Israel.

The one problem in living to 96, is that many of those you love are gone. Besides Mac, Ginny lost her only sibling, her younger sister, Dorothy Kelleher. She is survived by Dorothy’s three children – Kathleen Kelleher (Tony Knox), Bill Kelleher, and Maureen Gray (Mark). She is also survived by many other nieces and nephews as well as their children and their children’s children. And she is survived by her closest friend of 70 years, Judith Pagois. We will all miss Aunt Virginia “Ginny”, a woman of dignity and grace.

Ginny’s funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Gabriel the Archangel Church 3040 Hamburg St. Schenectady at 12 noon on Friday September 22, 2023. Relatives and friends are invited. Interment will be in St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Schenectady.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or City Mission of Schenectady, P.O. Box 760, Schenectady, NY 12301.