12/5/1937 – 11/8/2026
Lawrence
On Sunday, November 8, 2026, Virginia Kay “Ginny” Ovenstone, a beloved wife, mother, stepmother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 88. She was born to Frances Oliver Gorman and Francis Patrick Gorman in Junction City, Kansas, on December 5, 1937. Ginny is survived by her children, Mark Shipley and Dana (Gary) Whitney; her sister, Katie (Jim) Zlogar; her grandchildren, Lindsay Hammond, Erin Wenger, Meghan Kidney, and Matt Shipley; her great-grandchildren, Georgia Hammond and Eleanor Hammond; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of more than 36 years, Colin “Scotty” Ovenstone; her sister, Frances Long; and her son, Scott Shipley.
Ginny was raised on a dairy farm in Chapman, Kansas, along with her two sisters, Frances and Katie. She went on to attend Kansas State University from 1955 to 1957. Although she spent time in other states for her husband’s work, she made Lawrence, Kansas, her home for most of her adult life. She was a proud Jayhawk fan who enjoyed a fulfilling career, first at Lawrence High School and later in various departments at the University of Kansas, including the Law School, the Audio-Reader, the Geology Department, and the KU Union. She remained an active member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority until her passing.
Ginny loved being a grandmother and a great-grandmother. She enjoyed spending time outdoors in the Colorado mountains with her family, watching hummingbirds, and cheering on the Jayhawk basketball team. She was a skilled card player and regularly met up with friends to play Pitch for over 30 years. Though she was a fierce and independent woman, she was always willing to share a laugh or a memory. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered as a pillar of strength and an inspiration to every woman who has forged her own path in life.
Family and friends are invited to gather for visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 11, 2026, at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. Burial will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery following the service.
To leave a message for Ginny’s family, please visit Rumsey-Yost.com.
Note: The Lawrence Times is offering Lawrence and Douglas County community members space to publish remembrances of loved ones who lived in this community, free of charge. These pieces are submitted by family and friends of the deceased and not written by our staff. Photos are also provided to the publication, and some may have been altered prior to submission. Read more obituaries here.
We are honored to be able to offer this service free to community members in mourning. We believe the last thing our neighbors need in those difficult moments is another financial matter to worry about. Please support the Times to help us continue providing this service — and news access — for all.
To submit an obituary to The Lawrence Times, please fill out the form at this link. We’re sorry, but we cannot accept obituary submissions via email or other means.
Receive obituaries via email
As of May 2026, we are launching a newsletter that will include obituaries only. Obituaries will no longer appear in our daily emails. You can sign up below to receive any and all of our emails. If you already receive our daily, weekly and/or occasional emails and you want to keep receiving them, please check those boxes as well.
Please make sure you click on the button that says “Yes, subscribe me to this list” in the email you receive or you will not receive future emails. That extra step is to protect you and make sure you’re not getting emails you don’t want.
