Claudia Critchfield
Sitting with Virginia at the kitchen table,the last four or five years of her life it was always the kitchen table,she'd say, "I've been praying to Paul today," or "Paul will help me with this." I always found their relationship, Paul and Virginia's, fascinating. They married back in the '40s, and she remarried Ken Piper, but she always had this strong relationship with Paul, going back to the earliest times in their marriage, when he would kneel at their bedside at night and pray.

We had a bond,neither of us had children, and we shared our fears and concerns about not being parents. Virginia always looked at the positive side. She'd say, "I have my sister, companions, you, and Paul." But children were very important to Virginia.

Her charity work was distinct because it was God-centered and from the heart. She was no one's fool. She was an intelligent, shrewd woman and always pulled away from dishonesty or wrongdoing. When she gave to a charity, she looked at the people running it, asking how long they were going to be there. If she was angry with someone, there was a valid reason for it. Toward the end of Virginia's life, I prayed the rosary with her. This is the part of Virginia I knew best, praying with her, witnessing her faith.

Laura Grafman
After Ken died in 1975, Virginia's loneliness was devastating. We began to correspond more and talk on the phone. She began to travel to Chicago and stay with Nell Hubata in Wilmette. I would pick her up at the airport, and during one trip, Virginia invited Dayton and I to come out and spend a long weekend in Arizona.

Virginia was a night owl beyond belief; she liked to stay up late. So during the three nights we were there that first visit, she and I sat in her office until 2:30 or 3:30 a.m., with Virginia just pouring out her thoughts, her loneliness, her missing Ken, her love of Paul Galvin. We bonded through the unburdening, the comfort Virginia took in confiding in me. From that point on, we talked on a daily basis, and in June 1976, Dayton and I moved to Arizona.

For Virginia to trust someone was a major thing. She was wary of people and you had to prove to her you loved her for herself and not for her money. I became her confidante and she knew I would never violate that trust. The more I got to know her, the more I got to know the all-expansive, wonderful, perfect person she was. I also got to know the Virginia who could get mad as a hornet, bang her fist on the table, saying, "No, I will not do that." I got to know all sides of her.

If there is any message I'd like to impart about Virginia, it's to say how real she was. She was not this ethereal being, an angel floating above everything. She was a real person with real depth and real character. She had more determination than anyone I ever met. She worked. She got involved in every project and would make her strong opinion known. She was not a pushover. She would hold to her vision, and people would respect her for it. She kept up with the world of finance and became perfectly brilliant, a woman who could hold her own with the men financially. So while she was shy, modest, even retiring about herself, she was also incredibly dynamic in her philanthropic presence.

Perhaps her greatest choice was to anticipate what the future would hold and to realize that she wasn't going to be around forever. For me, the privilege of being named one of the Lifetime Trustees of the Piper Trust is the greatest privilege I could have ever received.

Lynn Grafman
I grew up in Chicago with my parents, Laura and Dayton Grafman. I was in high school when I first had the pleasure of meeting Virginia. I was attending a Van Cliburn concert and was introduced to this amazing woman. I was about fifteen years old at the time and I remember being taken by her beauty and her regal look. She exuded such warmth, kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity and at the same time seemed so down-to-earth. After I moved to Arizona years later, my relationship grew with Virginia and she became a mentor to me.

I had been the vice president of a publishing company, Timed Resources, Inc., where I was the cocreator and coauthor of several books. They included Active Senior Living, The Senior Care Center Guide and Career Choices and Opportunities. We also had a nationwide magazine for kids appropriately called the Children's Magazine. I not only cowrote these books but was responsible for all the marketing, promotions, publicity and editing. Virginia used to love to hear about my work, and we got into a routine where I would call her about eight o'clock each evening, and we would talk about the day. She enjoyed the update on what successes I had since we last spoke. She basically wanted to know everything, all about the cultivation I did with our corporate sponsors and advertisers. And she loved to live vicariously through me and hear about all of my dates, boyfriends, and relationships. We had so many great talks and laughs throughout the years. These are some of the most wonderful things I remember about my times with Virginia.

My own grandparents passed away when I was fifteen, sixteen, and eighteen, so Virginia played a huge role in my life and liked to consider herself an "aunt" to me, definitely not a "grandmother"! Her public image was that of a celebrity in so many people's eyes, but she was so approachable and likeable, someone you could really enjoy and be close to. One of her favorite things to do was to have dinner at my parents' house at their kitchen table. How simple for such a superstar. An extraordinary woman? Most definitely. A sweet, warm, and dedicated friend, role model, and mentor? You bet! It was an honor and privilege to have known this lovely and amazing lady.