Virginia Little

Virginia Kay Little, known to family and friends as Ginger, passed away December 20, 2017, after a long struggle with kidney failure. She was just days short of her 56 th birthday. Ginger was born in Victoria, Texas, on December 30, 1961, to Duane L. Little and Nancy Adamson Little. Not long after her birth the family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma and later to the country near Broken Arrow. She attended Town and Country School in Tulsa, commuting into Tulsa with her daddy when he went to work. In 1971 Ginger moved with her family to Mexico City, Mexico. There she attended Sierra Nevada Middle School becoming fluent in Spanish and graduated from Lomas High School. Many of the students in her graduating class are still in touch with each other wherever they are. After graduating, Ginger travelled to Varanasi, India where she spent the summer with her close friend and fellow graduate, Sheila Rajaram.  As a young adult Ginger lived in a number of different places including Houston, TX, Tel Aviv, Israel, and Seattle, WA, but spent most of the time in Oklahoma. There she resided in Tulsa, Chandler, and Seminole, where she spent the latter part of her life. She also spent two and a half years in Sequim , Washington, for health reasons and enjoying her northwest family.   While living in Seminole, Ginger enrolled in Seminole State College, and received an associate degree. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling at Eastern State University of Oklahoma, and, in spite of growing health concerns, was working on her master’s degree. A hip fracture in 2015 caused her Kidney failure which ultimately resulted in her death. Ginger loved working with people and her ability to make friends crossed all boundaries, accepting people of all social, cultural, and racial backgrounds. She trained as a Nursing Assistant in Seattle and worked in this capacity in Tulsa. In Seminole she used her language and people skills translating for the local police department and court system. Ginger made friends wherever she went, from her earliest years until her last season with the other patients at dialysis. Her compassion especially extended to those who were suffering or debilitated in some way, and her family grew accustomed to hearing people of all walks of life say how much they loved Ginger, often calling her their “Angel”.     Ginger is survived by Carl Anthony Odom, her long time companion of Seminole, OK; her parents Nancy and Duane Little of Sequim WA; sister Suzanne Hagelin of Woodinville, WA; brothers Eric Little of Marrowstone Island, WA, and David Little of Chandler, OK;  Tita Garza de Haro Little, sister-in-law, good friend, and  fellow Lomas High graduate, of Chandler, OK; brother by choice Gunter Maertens of Puebla, Mexico; Blake Odom, grandson of Carl Odom and grandson by choice of Ginger, and  many much-loved cousins and nieces and nephews. Ginger was preceded in death by her youngest brother Philip Edward Little. A Memorial Service will be held for Ginger on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. at Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel in Seminole, Oklahoma. Ginger loved her life and wanted everyone who attends her memorial service to be happy, not sad and not to wear black.  In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to the American Kidney Fund at www.kidneyfund.org or by mail at 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852. Funeral Information: February 3, 2018, 1:00 PM Swearingen Funeral Home Chapel located at 1001 N. Milt Phillips, Seminole, OK 74868