Virginia Luck
Newport, NH – On June 13, 1941, Virginia Rae Hodgman, was born at
Newport Hospital in Newport, New Hampshire. At that time, the world
was blessed with a generous, patient, and selfless person who for the
next 84 years would raise a family, share her gifts with friends and
strangers, and impact the lives of many. Virginia Rae Luck passed away
at her home on September 19, 2025. She grew up on the family dairy
farm in Goshen, New Hampshire, with her parents Rae Hodgman Balla and
Harold Hodgman, along with her brothers Bruce and Robert Hodgman. She
would later marry Frank Robert Luck, Jr, on August 16, 1958, and they
would make their home in Newport. Known to many as “Ginny,” she
graduated from Towle High School in 1958. Ginny had three passions in
her life: love of family, a travel spirit, and selfless service to
others.
Ginny was predeceased by her husband Frank in 2019. They shared 61
years together, 4 children, 5 grandchildren, and 2
great-grandchildren. Her children included Ann O’Clair and her husband
Doug O’Clair of Goshen, Robert Luck and his wife Wendy Luck of
Newport, Thomas Luck and his wife Kathy Luck of Whitefield, and
Christine Downing and her husband David Downing of Goshen. Ginny
adored her grandchildren, Melissa Almstrom married to Jeremy Almstrom,
Matt O’Clair married to Amy Caswell-O’Clair, Joshua Luck married to
Raenee Luck, Terrance Luck married to Diana Luck, and Patrick Colwell.
She was very proud of her two great-grandsons, Benjamin and Carson
Almstrom. Ginny experienced many changes in the world throughout her
84 years, but her true love was her family. She was known for her many
talents in the areas of gardening, bird watching, baking, pickling,
knitting, crocheting, jelly and relish making, card stamping, and even
an occasional homemade wine making. Her baked beans were a staple for
any family event, her homemade peanut butter and chocolate fudge along
with baked breads and jellies were favorite Christmas treats, and her
customized birthday and anniversary cards will forever be remembered
by her family and friends. It is fair to say she was the steadfast
keystone to her family through all their achievements and challenges.
She was the essence of the family matriarch through her genuine
compassion and dedication to her family, friends, and selfless support
to others in need.
For over 30 years, Ginny worked in the insurance field as an agent at
Gauthier & Woodard Insurance and later at the Insurance Center in
Newport. Even days before her passing she would still encounter
people, while out shopping in Newport, that would ask her to come back
to the insurance world to help them navigate that need. She was a
dedicated and professional insurance agent. Ginny also knew how to
enjoy life and she did this through a variety of travel adventures.
With her husband Frank, she would travel to various NASCAR races
throughout the country, always cheering on her favorite driver, #5
Terry Labonte. They went to short tracks and super speedways. In
addition, they made vacation trips to Germany to visit Christine and
her husband, enjoyed cruises to a variety of destinations, and
occasionally Ginny would venture off to other states and countries
with her friends. When Ginny was not off seeing new places, she could
be found at the Newport Bowling Center on Tuesday nights as a member
of the “ladies league.” It was through these travels and experiences
that Ginny connected to helping others in need.
Ginny combined her talents and travel spirit to support children with
serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions through Victory
Junction. This is a year-round camp founded by Kyle Petty and his
family in honor of his son Adam. It provides life-changing camping
experiences that are exciting, fun, and empowering, in a
medically-safe environment, always free of charge. For over 25 years,
Ginny would make dozens of teddy bears and blankets for the children.
Early on Frank and Ginny would drive the donations to North Carolina
to visit the camp and take tours. When they could no longer do that,
she continued these efforts by pairing up with UPS, who would deliver
the items for free. Right up until her passing, she was still knitting
the final blanket she was looking to ship in the next few weeks. In
addition, Ginny turned her talent for card stamping and making into
regular packages to military service members serving overseas. These
were just a few of the many ways Ginny always put the needs of others,
from family and friends to strangers, above herself. It was this
genuine care, selfless nature, patience, and unwavering love that made
her so special to anyone that knew and loved her. While her family and
the world have lost an incredible human, heaven has truly gained an
angel in every sense of that word.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Victory Junction. You
can learn more about the camp using this link:
https://victoryjunction.org/about-vj/
We hope to continue Ginny’s contributions to this very deserving
organization.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 from 5 – 7
PM at Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home, 42 Main Street, Newport, NH.