Virginia (Ginny) Ann (Heatwole) Keinath, age 88, of Newark, passed away peacefully at her home Tuesday, April 22, 2025. She was born in Newark, on October 16, 1936, to the late Owen and Florence (Rock) Heatwole.

She is survived by her children, Cindy (Mark) Walters, John Keinath, and Jimmy Keinath; grandchildren, Courtney, Paige, and Jimmy Keinath; sisters-in-law, Mary Lou Heatwole and Angie Heatwole and many special nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, James Keinath; siblings, Owen Heatwole, Bob Heatwole, and Don Heatwole.

Ginny's was a life not of major public accomplishments, but of good deeds, love, laughter, grace, unbelievably hard work and a laser focus on molding her family into kind and caring people. She was a quiet force to be reckoned with, raising three kids and helping raise three grandkids, while working tirelessly to achieve modest success in the business world.

Ginny and Jim were part owners of Burger Chef in Newark and Heath for over 25 years and A&W Root Beer for a few years, and she decorated cakes at Jimmy's TCBY. They loved the restaurant business and she talked about opening another restaurant into her 80s. Together, they instilled a love of service and a fierce work ethic in their kids.

Ginny and Jim were ahead of their time, accepting those from marginalized communities and treating them with love and respect decades before it was

even remotely acceptable to do so. They were the "cool" parents, and everyone loved to hang out at their house, with them as much as their kids.

Ginny was a great cook and an even greater baker and candy maker. Nothing fancy or pretentious, just simple recipes made with care and so much heart. She baked hundreds of birthday cakes over the years for people that worked with her kids, and her famous buckeyes, toffee and cut-out cookies traveled with friends and family as far as the UK and India, to many she had never met.

Her shy demeanor belied her quick and often jarring sense of humor that could leave even those with the strongest of personalities speechless. Those who knew her well enough to banter freely with her found themselves on the losing end of their sparring matches more often than not - a fact that delighted her (and her kids) endlessly. She could shock and surprise people with her quick and somewhat naughty wit, and she loved it when she took the upper hand and landed a real jaw-dropper. In her final weeks when she was mostly unresponsive, she made her kids laugh out loud by calling them "liars" through closed eyes when they told her how pretty she looked. She was a funny, funny lady.

Ginny loved New York City, the theatre there and her "only in New York" experiences. She was fortunate to see many amazing stars and performances. In her late 70s, she saw Neil Patrick Harris in the punk rock musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, where she appeared to be the oldest person in the audience by decades. She loved that thrilling, ear-splitting performance and talked about it for years after. She was just as cool and hip as any of those surrounding her, but these were her people and her kind of show even at that stage of her life. One white-knuckle cab ride through midtown had the driver staying on the bumper of an ambulance, running numerous red lights, and ended with the cabbie telling a police officer she was sick (a bald-faced lie) so we could get through a barricade to get to the front door of Macy's. She was hanging on for dear life, while laughing hysterically as we careened through the streets of Manhattan.

She also loved Ohio State football and would have been thrilled to know the last game she would ever see was a national championship winning game. She followed her favorite players into their pro careers and her most recent "boyfriends", as she referred to them, were Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud. Little did they know, they had an 88-year-old woman in Newark, Ohio harboring a deep, abiding affection for them just off the sidelines.

What she leaves behind are not accolades or awards or proclamations. She leaves behind no drama, no broken promises, no anger. Only gentleness, laughter, warm memories and an abundance of love. She was just Mom and Grandma when it came down to it, and that is enough. There are no words for how much she will be missed.

In accordance with Ginny's wishes, no services will be held at this time. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ginny's memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Attn: Memorial & Honor, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.