Virginia (Ginny) Chorley, daughter of Ethel and Aubine Batts Sr, died peacefully on April 9 after spending the day with her children and a visit from a dear family friend, Anne Drennan. Since January 2025, she had been receiving care at the Pavilion at Croasdaile, supported by Transitions Hospice in Durham, North Carolina. The family is grateful for the countless caregivers, friends, chaplains, clinicians and volunteers who supported Ginny during this period of her life.

Ginny was born in Orlando, FL and moved with her family to Wilmington, NC as a child and then to Evanston, Illinois during her high school years. She attended and graduated from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan where she met her husband, Richard (Dick/Rich) Chorley. They married in Evanston in 1963 and moved to Newton, MA where Dick was finishing seminary at Andover Newton Theological School. Following graduation Ginny and Dick moved to Keene, New Hampshire where Dick served as the Music Minister and Minister of Christian Education at First Baptist Church. They welcomed their first two children (a daughter, Heather and a son, Kevin) during those years in NH. In 1972 the family moved to Kalamazoo, MI where Dick served in a similar role at First Baptist Church and they welcomed their third child (a daughter, Susan). In 1979 the family moved to Durham, North Carolina where Dick had accepted a call to serve as the Minister of Christian Education at Watts Street Baptist Church. Ginny was extremely dedicated to Watts Street over the years, teaching adult Sunday School and sharing in worship leadership. She maintained friendships in the church that spanned decades.

Anyone who knew Ginny had a sense of her deep faith, her genuine interest in people, and her love of story and music. She was curious about the world and was never afraid to ask questions or wrestle with difficult ideas. She brought both humor and thoughtfulness to her relationships and had a gift for remembering the details of people and stories that mattered to her. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and a highly respected partner in ministry within the various congregations our father served.

Ginny also worked at Duke University for most of her professional life, starting in the Math/Physics department and ending in the Chaplains office at Duke Hospital.

Ginny was an avid reader, lover of plants and art and had a deep and open-hearted desire for justice for all living beings. Up until her death she was a monthly donor to the local Food Bank.

Ginny is survived by her children, Heather (Fred), Kevin (Mary) and Susan (Ed) and grandchildren Isla (Beau), Franz and Linus. She joins in the everlasting her beloved husband, Richard Chorley, her siblings, Aubine Batts Jr., Estelle Langley and Jack Batts and her parents, Aubine Sr and Ethel Batts. The visits she shared over the last few years of her life with extended family including sister-in-law, Sara (Chorley) Saunders and her husband Alban of Maryland and niece, Terri (Batts) Collins and Terri’s daughter, Jessica Collins of Florida were very meaningful to her.

The family invites all to a Celebration of Life on Saturday, October 24th, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Watts Street Baptist Church (800 Watts Street, Durham NC 27705) with a reception to follow. For those who cannot attend in person the service will be livestreamed and recorded at https://vimeo.com/event/6181944?fl=ls&fe=ws

If you wish to make a donation in honor of Ginny’s life - we are grateful and we suggest the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC or the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice.