Virginia “Ginnie” Dunne Ahrens of the Crosslands Community in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania passed away on November 9, 2016 after a long battle with renal carcinoma.  She was 84 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 26, 1931, Ginnie was the daughter of the late John P. Dunne and thelate Helen Fitzpatrick Dunne.  She graduated fromRichmond Hill High School in Queens, attended FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in Manhattan, graduated from Cornell University in 1964 earning her B.S. in Textiles and Master’s Degree in Textiles and Organic Chemistry in 1966 and completed her PhD in Textiles and Chemistry from the University of Maryland in 1986.

Ginnie married Donald H. Ahrens in 1953 and who suddenly died in 1960. She raised two children as a single mother and pursued her education.

In her professional career she was Division Leader for Tompkins County, Ithaca, NY; Assistant Professor, University of Delaware focusing on flame retardant finishes for textile materials and their ecological impact; Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Maryland researching dye carriers in waste water effluents; Visiting Scientist, Ixchel Museum, Guatemala City, Guatemala, where she developed techniques for the identification of textile artifacts; Associate Professor, Textile Science, University of Delaware; researching the mechanisms of dye carrier action in polyester fibers and Professor for a broad range of courses from 1980 to 1997 including a joint course with her husband, Conrad titled “Chemistry and the Human Environment”.  Ginnie authored and/or was co-author of 13 published papers on flammability, toxicity of flameretardants dyes and finishes. She developed and taught courses for a variety of class sizes at a variety of levels.  Topics ranged from textile analysis, textiles and the economy, fiber Science and dyes and color. Herprofessional associations include: American Chemical Society, American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of University Professors.  She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi Faculty, Kappa Omicron, Sigma Xi and the World Who's Who of Women, 3rd ed. And the Maryland Fellowship. 

Ginnie was an active member of Unitarian Fellowship of Newark, Newark Friends Meeting and Co-chair of the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Crosslands Friends Worship Group.

In 2010 Ginnie was awarded the Peacemaker Among Us Award of Pacem in Terris, a peace organization located in Wilmington, Delaware.

Virginia Dunne Ahrens Award Citation

“Ginnie is very deserving of this award because of her long dedication to the cause of peace.  In the 1980’s she was drawn into peace work by the plight of Central American refugees, who came to the U.S. to escape oppression and violence, and she joined Pacem in Terris.  After she retired from teaching Textile Chemistry at the University of Delaware, she came into the Pacem in Terris office faithfully one day every week for eleven years in a row to care for

computers, defragging and backing them up and saw us through each required modernization and upgrade.  She was a member of the Pacem in Terris Board from 1997 through 2004, serving as Chair in 2002 and 2003.  She continues to be a member of the Pacem in Terris  Finance Committee and was its Chair for many years.  When Pacem had to start laying out its newsletter, Delmarva PEACEWORK, in QuarkXPress, she taught herself the program in 2002 and continues to host the layout effort at her home on her computer five times a year. She remains an amazing sales person for our annual Wreaths for Peace at Kendal and Crosslands retirement communities and has helped develop a Peace and Social Concerns Committee at Crosslands.  She has promoted peace in so many ways both big and small. Ginnie is assuredly a "PEACE MAKE AMONG US.”

Personal reflections by her husband, Conrad Trumbore:

Ginnie left us a lasting legacy. First, she showed courage and tenacity in raising a family as a single parent following the tragic loss of her first husband, Donald H. Ahrens, bravely getting back up on her feet, obtaining an education at Cornell, working to earn enough to keep her family afloat.  Second, she devoted her spare time to working for peace, a cause that was primary in her life goals.  Third, she made lasting contributions to Pacem in Terris in the nitty-gritty areas and administrative and technical areas where she had expertise, for example, in computer and publishing skills.  The last two connections led her to become part of a Quaker community, where she bonded with many individuals. Ginnie's scientific and educational skills at Cornell and later as a professor at the University of Delaware were shown in her research in textile safety research and her later experimentation in chemical education, the latter area which lead to her ultimate marriage to Conrad Trumbore. As we have declared many times, "the chemistry was right between us." This ultimately resulted in our teaching an introductory course for non-science majors. In addition to being my wonderful wife, Ginnie was my faithful and expert editor in our work on a chemistry text and research papers. When we both retired to Crosslands in 2003 at a relatively early age, we were quickly integrated with and active in both Crosslands committees and in our own individual peace activities and scientific endeavors. We never regretted moving there and are so fortunate to have made this choice enabling a decade of healthy and productive lives before Ginnie's health began to deteriorate. At this point, we were able to utilize the superior excellent health care provided there that eased the burdens on both of us in the past few years.

She is survived by her husband Conrad Trumbore of 24 years; her children, Wendy Haesemeyer and Donald Ahrens; step-children, Samuel Trumbore and Susan Trumbore; grandchildren, Christian Haesemeyer and Hallie Ahrens; step-grandchild, Andrew Trumbore and her sister, Marie Verge. She was predeceased by her sisters, Florence Dunne and Joan Tanguay.

A memorial service will be at 2:00PM on Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at the WILLIAM PENN ROOM at CROSSLANDS, 1660 East Street Road, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348.  Memorial donations would be appreciated to the charity of Virginia's choice: Pacem in Terris, 401 N. West Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801-2137.  www.depaceminterris.org

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