Virginia Wightman Hiestand died at her home in Bishop Gadsden Retirement Center in Charleston, South Carolina on September 8, 2026 at the age of 100. “Ginny” Hiestand was a devoted wife and mother, full of fun, and a supportive and loyal friend to many throughout her life.

Mrs. Hiestand was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on September 28, 1925, the daughter of George Alfred Wightman and Helen Ingalls Wightman. Her family moved to Lakewood, Ohio where she graduated from Lakewood High School in 1943. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio in 1947. Mrs. Hiestand was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, serving as treasurer and president of her chapter, and as vice president of the Panhellenic Council. At Ohio Wesleyan she met Jean Carter Hiestand, Jr., who would become her husband of more than 69 years and who predeceased her in 2017. They married on December 27, 1947. Also following graduation, she worked at McGraw-Hill Publishers, Cleveland, Ohio and in the acoustics laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Throughout her life, while raising her family, Mrs. Hiestand served in many volunteer roles, including advisor for Delta Delta Delta chapters, the Girl Scouts of America and Meals on Wheels. She was a devout Christian and active in her churches, teaching Sunday school and Bible School. She was a Deacon, Circle President and Pastoral Hospital Volunteer in the Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, Illinois, and a member of the altar guild at St. Johns Episcopal Church, Johns Island, South Carolina. After Ginny and Jean made the Charleston area their home, she became active in the community, serving as a docent for the Historical Charleston Foundation and a member of the Charleston Symphony Guild. She also served in several volunteer roles in the Village Shop, which raises funds for the Bishop Gadsden Resident Assistance Fund.

Ginny and Jean loved traveling and throughout their lives, visited all continents except Antarctica. They took each of their grandchildren with them on special trips, and also traveled extensively with friends and family. Following Jean’s retirement in 1989, they moved to Kiawah Island, South Carolina where Ginny was an avid tennis player into her 80’s before they moved to Bishop Gadsden in the summer of 2004.

Mrs. Hiestand was a loving mother to four children: Christine Hiestand Holland (Willis Marshall), Nancy Lynn Hiestand (James Jennings), Jean Carter Hiestand, III and Barbara Hiestand Ledford (Ken Durand). She was a devoted grandmother to nine grandchildren: Craig Wellman Bode (Karen Bischoff), Christian Hiestand McClellan (Margarita “Daisy” Bandera-Dubplantier), Ashley Helen Hiestand (Kelly Tate), Carrie Lynn Holland, Margaret Emily Hiestand, Lauren Holland Carter (Christopher “Kit”), Carter Joseph Ledford, Kyle David Ledford and Kaitlyn Nicole Ledford, and great-grandmother to five great-grandchildren: Hunter Jean McClellan, Rhys Emerson McClellan, Cole Theodore McClellan, Callie Blake Carter and Cameryn Reese Carter. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Jean, her brother, George Ingalls Wightman and his wife, Beatrice Knox Wightman.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at Bishop Gadsden Chapel, 1 Bishop Gadsden Way at 1:30 pm. Burial will take place on Monday, September 14, 2026 at Westfield Center Cemetery, West Field, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the Faison School for Autism, 1701 Byrd Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23230, or the Bishop Gadsden Resident Assistance Fund, 1 Bishop Gadsden Way, Charleston, SC 29412. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. West Ashley Chapel. 

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