Virginia (Soper) Lavoie

Virginia (Soper) Lavoie, 87, of Salem Willows, Mass., died Thursday, June 29, 2006, in the Salem Hospital. She was the wife of the late Donald Lavoie.Born in Essex, Mass., the daughter of the late J. Ray and Edith (Singer) Soper, she was a resident of Salem Willows for most of her life.Ginny was a graduate of Salem High School and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Licensed Practical Nursing School at the Chelsea Soldiers Home.She very much enjoyed working with the elderly. At one time, she had been the owner-operator of the Lavoie Nursing Home on Washington Street, Peabody, Mass., for many years. Prior to her retirement, she had been employed by the Newhall Nursing Home, Salem, until its closing.Ginny was a member of the Juniper Community Club.Surviving her are two daughters, Virginia A. Lavoie of Salem, Mass., with whom she made her home, and Donna R. Jones and her husband, Fred, of Tamworth; a brother, Donald Soper and his wife, Marion, of Lynn, Mass.; a sister, Ruth Raymond of Salem; a sister-in-law, Patience Soper of Salem; a granddaughter, Kimberly Humphrey of Frederick, Md.; two great-grandsons, Ryan and Collin Humphrey, both of Frederick, Md.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. She also was the sister of the late Erle and Ray Soper.Her funeral will be held in the David H. Gonet Funeral Home, Hawthorne Boulevard, Route 1A, Salem, on Monday, July 3, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Timothy Rogers, rector of Saint Peter's Episcopal Church, Salem, officiating. Relatives and friends are invited. Visiting hours in the funeral home are on Sunday, July 2, from 3 to 6 p.m. Burial is in Greenlawn Cemetery.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to Saint Peter's Episcopal Church Memorial Fund, 24 Saint Peter Street, Salem, MA 01970. Parking is available in the church parking lot across the street from the funeral home.