Obituary of Virginia Johnson Oldrin

Virginia (Jinnie) Johnson Oldrin, 84, of Darien, CT and West Grove, PA, lifelong conservationist and naturalist, passed away peacefully last Thursday, March 12th. She was the beloved wife of the late John Oldrin of Darien. Born in 1924 in New York City, Jinnie was the daughter of the late Wayne Johnson and Gladys Royer Johnson. She graduated from the Foxcroft School and attended the Brearley School and Barnard College. Following her marriage to John Oldrin, they raised four children, miniature donkeys, many dogs and cats, and a myriad of orphaned wild animals in a happy home named "The Round Meadow". It was there with her husband, also a naturalist and land preservationist, that her love, devotion and deep appreciation for the natural world was rooted. In 1976, she was singularly responsible for raising the funds for the acquisition of the Scott's Cove Woodland marsh and donating a portion of her own family's Round Meadow property to the Darien Land Trust. She was committed to preservation of open space, in particular coastal wetlands, and that it should remain in perpetuity in its natural state. Thus began her journey and adventures in exploration and discovery of worldwide land and animal conservation but her main focus remained on her home town of Darien. As a visionary and ardent steward of the land, Jinnie was a former director of the Darien Land Trust, president of the Conservation Commission of Darien, treasurer of the Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inlands Wetlands Commission, director of the Darien Audubon society and chairman of the Environmental Protection Commission. A founding member of the Darien Nature Center, she was honored in 1989 by the Darien Chamber of commerce with the Citizen of the Year award. An explorer, adventurer and accomplished wildlife photographer, Jinnie traveled throughout Africa and South America, including the Galapagos Islands and Madagascar photographing and educating herself about the world's great rainforests and their inhabitants, both human and animal, as well as the natural habitat. Jinnie was a passionate and accomplished gardener. After the death of her husband, she moved to "Turtle Creek Farm" in West Chester, PA. It was reminiscent of her beloved childhood home in Chestertown, MD. With rolling hills and fields of green amongst stands of hundred year old oak trees, she planted meadows of wild flowers and natural hedgerows epitomizing her love of flowers and natural vegetation. She is survived by her four children, Shelley Knowlton of Portland, OR; Hugh G. Knowlton of Old Tappan, NJ; Lucy R. Oldrin of Darien, CT; and John Wood Oldrin of Rowayton, CT; and her brother Wayne Johnson of Greenwich, CT and Southampton, NY. Best friend to her seven grandchildren, she also leaves three great grandchildren. 'Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps the singing bird will come". A reception in her honor will be held at the Darien Nature Center, Friday, March 20th from 2 to 4 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Darien Land Trust, P. O. Box 1074, Darien, CT 06820 or to the Darien Nature Center, 120 Brookside Road, Darien, CT 06820. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820