Virginia Lewis (Hinkins) Cadden

Virginia Lewis Hinkins Cadden (Gin), 94, of Strasburg went to be with the Lord on September 16 , 2019.

A funeral service for Mrs. Cadden will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept 21, 2019 at the Strasburg Presbyterian Church with Rev. David Howard officiating.  Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery.  

The family will receive friends at Stover Funeral Home on Friday evening from 6-8 p.m.  

Gin was born on February 9, 1925 in Baltimore, MD to the late George Spengler Hinkins, Sr., a native of Strasburg, and Maria Nash Hinkins of Lumberton, N.C.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, George Spengler Hinkins, Jr., and her husband Dr. John F. Cadden.  

She is survived by a son, John G. (Sean) Cadden (Laura) of Strasburg,  step-daughter Joan Cadden Leahy of Stephens Point, WI., 13 grandchildren,  great-grandchildren and  great-great-grand-children too numerous to list.

Gin lived in Baltimore and Cherry Hill, N.J. during most of her younger years but the family always kept a summer home in Strasburg.  She loved to ride horses around the area and attended 6th, 7th and 8th grade at Strasburg.  She attended Hannah More Academy in Reisterstown, MD for 10th, 11th and 12th grade then attended the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture.  Upon graduation from horticulture school she returned to the family farm at Spengler Hall in Strasburg.  Spengler Hall was built by her great, great, great grandfather. She and her father farmed for several years during which time she raised and showed various breeds of sheep and Golden Retrievers.

In the early 50s she lived at the Barbizon Hotel for Women on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and studied juvenile fiction at New York University.  Her first book, Stonewall’s Courier, was published by McGraw Hill in 1959 and was labeled by the New York Times as one of the ten best juvenile fiction books of the year.  She also published another book, Gently Now, in 1962.  A history enthusiast, she wrote The Story of Strasburg for Strasburg’s bicentennial in 1961 which was published by Shenandoah Publishing Co., (Northern Virginia Daily publisher).  Gin received a BA in history from Madison College in 1972.

She married Dr. John F. Cadden in the living room at Spengler Hall on Dec. 26, 1957.  She and her husband raised thoroughbred horses.  She did substitute teaching and was a Girl Scout troop leader.  Gin was a dedicated member of Strasburg Presbyterian Church where she regularly attended and taught Sunday School.  Her love of history led her to collect local “Pot Town” pottery.  She was instrumental in founding the Strasburg Museum and she was an early director of the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival.  Her close friend was Ellen Hatmaker whose home is now the Strasburg Library.  Visitors to the library can see the Virginia H. Cadden garden on the east side of the building and visitors to the Strasburg Museum can tour the Virginia H. Cadden Strasburg Pottery Room.

Pallbearers will be Kelly Brown, Drake Cadden, Nash Cadden, Mark Duvall, Fletcher Eastham and Roger Miller.

Honorary pallbearers are Butch Sheetz, Barry Bergey, Tom Thompson, Doug Boyd, Dexter Bly, Rusty Long, Charlene Atkisson, Ginger Aliotti, Ginger Glading , Laura Bennett and  her friends from the Museum and Strasburg Presbyterian Church.

Memorials may be made to Strasburg Presbyterian Church, 325 S. Holliday Street, Strasburg, VA 22657.

You may sign the guest book and submit condolences to the family online at www.stoverfuneralhome.com 

Stover Funeral Home and Crematory, Strasburg, VA is serving the family of Mrs. Cadden.  

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