Virginia Price “Dinnie” Childs, 89, formerly of Mt. Airy, a seamstress, musician and longtime volunteer with Quaker institutions, died of heart failure March 22 at Stapeley in Germantown, a …
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Virginia Price “Dinnie” Childs, 89, formerly of Mt. Airy, a seamstress, musician and longtime volunteer with Quaker institutions, died of heart failure March 22 at Stapeley in Germantown, a retirement community.
While her children were attending Germantown Friends School, Mrs. Childs organized camping trips and organized the music collection. She served on the board of the Female
Association of Philadelphia, a charity for widows and orphans, and participated in the Reading Buddies program for elementary school students.
At Germantown Friends Meeting, she supervised the Young Friends Group, made aprons and other kitchen items for community fund-raisers, provided piano accompaniment at musical events, and volunteered on many committees.
She had served on the board of Stapeley before she and her husband, Jack, became residents in 2005. In exchange for donations to the Resident’s Assistance Fund, she sewed cushions, tablecloths and curtains, and repaired residents’ clothing.
Mrs. Childs taught herself to play jazz piano in her 70s. She played in chamber music groups, sang in choirs and performed jazz classics at the Reading Terminal. She also composed lyrics for hundreds of special-occasion songs for family and friends
Born and raised in Mt. Airy, she had lived there for most of her life before moving to Stapeley. She was a graduate of Germantown Friends School and Wheaton College, and was a lifelong supporter of both institutions and the Germantown Friends Meeting.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by sons Norris and Dan; daughters Carla and Marion; 11 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12, at the Germantown Monthly Meeting, 47 W. Coulter St., Philadelphia 19144. Memorial donations may be made to the Germantown Friends School or the Germantown Monthly Meeting. – WF