Obituary of Virginia Vannah Treat

Searsport - Virginia Vannah Treat, 94, died peacefully early Thursday morning, Jan. 10, 2013, at a Belfast health care facility. She was born Oct. 25, 1918, in East Boothbay, to Everett and Lillian Vannah. She was educated in the Boothbay school system and attended and graduated from Wheelock College, Boston, where she studied early childhood education. She then taught kindergarten in Winterport where she met her future husband, Joshua "Jay" Treat III. They were married in June 1941 and moved to Belfast where Jay owned and operated Perry's Nut House for nearly four decades. They had three children, Linda, Nancy and Joshua IV. Virginia - known affectionately as Ginny to friends and family and as "Floyd" to her husband - was an avid reader, Scrabble player, gardener, cook and baker. She served on the board of Belfast Free Library and Sweetser, she was on Belfast PTA and volunteered for Belfast Public Health and Waldo County General Hospital. She was a member of the PEO Sisterhood for more than 40 years, and she was an active member of First Church of Belfast where she served as a Sunday school teacher and deaconess and offered her services whereever they were needed. She and Jay traveled to Arizona and Mexico every winter for decades where they enjoyed spending time with Jay's sister, Mary Esther and her husband, Don. Her family was the focal point of her life; she loved feeding, supporting and laughing with them. Her favorite times in life were family get-togethers, spending time in East Boothbay and sitting in the sun on the lawn of her home in East Belfast looking out on Penobscot Bay. She was a thoughtful, loving woman and will be missed by all who knew her. She was predeceased by her husband, Joshua, in 2009; and by her daughter, Linda, in 2000. She was also predeceased by countless friends. She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Burnham and husband, Philip, of Searsport; her son, Joshua Treat IV and his wife Anne, of Belfast; her sister, Mary Alice Fairley of East Boothbay; as well as grandchildren, Deborah and husband, Jeff, Diana, Joshua V and wife, Katie, Alex and Emily and husband, Zach. She has eight great-grandchildren, Zakary, Andrew, Jessy, Isaac, Dawson, Hunter, Colby and Sullivan. She is also survived by a sister-in-law, Vivian Treat; and four nieces and nephews, Frances, Mary Esther, Jonathan and Donald. A memorial service will be held at First Church, Belfast, in the spring. Gifts in her memory may be sent to First Church, 8 Court St., Belfast, ME 04915. Arrangements will be handled by Riposta Funeral Home, Belfast. Online condolences at www.ripostafh.com.