Trending
A long-time advocate for women, Virginia Day of Altoona, is being remembered for her faith and community involvement.
Day, 76, died Jan. 27 after an illness, according to the Rev. Keith Moore, pastor of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, where Day was a life member.
"She was a very private person," Moore said, explaining that Day had been in declining health for about a year.
He described her as the "pillar of the community" whom everyone referred to as "Miss Virginia."
Day sang in the choir and served as financial secretary for many years and received the title of "trustee emeritus" last year.
"Everyone called her Miss Virginia," Moore said. "I think it was a sign of respect and the way she carried herself."
Her son, Ashley Day, said he learned from his mother to give back to the community, to care for those less fortunate and to remain humble and kind.
"She also taught me to treat everyone with respect," the younger Day said of his mother. Ashley Day is a lieutenant detective with the Altoona Police Department. Her example of community involvement and having an uncle who served on the APD inspired him to become a police officer.
Donna Gority, president of ArtsAltoona and a former Blair County commissioner, served on many boards and committees with Day.
"She was very dedicated to all the things she was involved in and was always very pleasant and personable," Gority said. "She never hesitated to share her gifts and talents. She was a positive force ... always very dignified and very much the lady. Her loss leaves a huge gap in our community."
Day was a former board member of Family Services Inc., secretary of the Blair County Chapter of the NAACP, and a board member of WISE Women of Blair County, which honored her with its Tribute to Women Award for Community Service in 2003.
Day also served on the national board of directors of the YWCA, and the Blair County Advisory Committee to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
"She was really an asset to our organization," said Bill Sweet, vice president of the local NAACP. "She was involved since the organization came into being (about 1992). She was our secretary and was meticulous about her work."
"She knew a lot of people and was very involved in so many different organizations," said Bill's wife, Patti Sweet, who also knew Day.
Florence Shuss, WISE board secretary, said she will miss Day's humor and "her straightforward way of stating facts and understanding the issues. She was quick with a smile and always open to listening to all."
Despite her illness, Moore said Day wrote him and his wife, Ruth, a letter in May 2020 thanking them for their service.
"It's a beautiful letter," he said. "She told us she loved us ... and told me to continue to 'be powerful' in the way that I preach. It touched our hearts and brought tears to our eyes."
The letter, Moore said, was typical of Day -- thinking of others before herself.
"She's been a pillar in this community and was always willing to do whatever it took to help someone," he said.
Lisa Hann, executive director of Family Services Inc., praised Day for being "very social-service minded," and for her involvement in the agency's domestic abuse and rape crisis centers.
"Miss Virginia taught women how to survive in the world," Hann said. "She brought a perspective of diversity to the board and opened doors to our services for women of color who may have hesitated to use our services or
to volunteer."
In the 1980s, Day took shifts at the domestic abuse shelter, Hann said, as well as serving on various committees and the board of directors.
"She was a vital part of establishing these two services (domestic abuse shelter and rape crisis center)," Hann said. "She also volunteered for community events, such as the Day of Unity Celebration and Take Back the Night. If not for her, I'm not sure where this agency would be."
Former Family Services social worker Anna Fleck of Altoona said she admired Day as a "kind, compassionate person who lived out her faith through her work with the poor and the disenfranchised. Virginia advocated for those who did not have an equal seat at the table of opportunity and always made sure that their voices were heard. She truly had the heart of a servant-leader. The ripple effect of her example lives on through those of us who knew and worked with her for positive changes in our community."
Day is survived by three sons, a niece who was raised in her home and her two children, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Friends will be received from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 2121 Fifth Ave., Altoona.
Mirror Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 814-949-7030.