“GiGi” Lavine Dies at 84 Service Scheduled Friday

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Category: Obituaries

Created on Tuesday, 15 December 2015 15:20

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Geneva Routh Lavine, more commonly known as GiGi, passed away Thursday, December 10, at Sitka Community Hospital. She was 84.

She was born March 12, 1931, to Pearl and Dean Walker, the middle child of three, and was raised in Abilene, Texas.

She completed one year at McMurry College in Abilene, and married Hugh Longino on June 6, 1950. Soon afterward, they moved to El Paso, Texas, where they raised four children.

Hugh and GiGi divorced in 1967 and GiGi remarried in 1968, to Joe Lavine. They moved to Auburn, Massachusetts. Over her lifetime, GiGi made homes in Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and, for the last six years, in Sitka. 

GiGi loved her home state of Texas, her Dallas Cowboys football, John Wayne and westerns, country music, knitting, reading magazines, and she loved her “goodies.”

She loved all animals, but especially dogs. GiGi had a gorgeous alto voice and in her younger years sang solos for many church functions.

She and Joe held an antique dealers license and worked antique shows and auctions across New England and Texas.

The first job she had was as a secretary for the El Paso Livestock Show and Rodeo in the early ’60s. For most of her life, GiGi worked as a medical secretary for several physicians, scheduling appointments and completing insurance billing. She also worked as an office manager for Plum Tree Gift Shop in Auburn, Sturbridge Yankee Workshop in Sturbridge, Massachusetts; Haliburton Oilfield Services of Houston; and West Texas Utilities in Abilene. 

GiGi is survived by her eldest son Jeff (and Tami) Longino of Corpus Christi, Texas; daughter Margaret (and Dave) Galanin of Sitka; and son David (and Kristi) Longino of Brushton, New York.

She leaves behind 17 grandchildren, including Matt Longino, Adrianne Canestrari, Melissa Yelvington, Drew Mochak, Natalie Galanin, Tonya Delk, Kerri Pelham, Zachary Longino, Nicholas Longino, Kaitlin Demary, Ashley Longino, Natasha Longino, Aleksey Longino, Grace Longino, Jerrod Galanin, Nicholas Galanin, and Brandon Galanin.

She also had 19 great-grandchildren, seven nieces and nephews, six cousins, and countless family dogs.

GiGi was preceded in death by her youngest son, Tom Longino, siblings Birdie Paige and Jerry Walker, her parents Pearl and Dean Walker, a nephew Jimmy Paige, and her two husbands, Hugh Longino and Joe Lavine.

GiGi loved life, loved being with people, and made friends wherever she lived. She enjoyed family gatherings, parties, music, flowers, and birds. She held a wonderfully positive outlook on life and rarely complained about anything. She had a terrific dry sense of humor as well as strong intuition.

A celebration of GiGi’s life will be held 7 p.m. Friday, December 18, at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi community house. All who knew and loved GiGi are welcome to attend. Those who wish may take a dish, as “we will share a meal, stories, and song,” family said.

Contributions may be made to the Sitka Community Hospital Foundation at 209 Moller Dr., Sitka, Alaska 99835. Funds will be used to build a family room/solarium for the residents of the Long-Term Care facility.

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