Virginia Margaret “Ginger” Johnston, 86, of Ocean Park, Wash., died Monday, Aug. 23, 2010, in Ilwaco, Wash.

She was born April 16, 1924, in Seattle, to Allison and Gladys (Walker) Cox.

In 1942, she graduated from Edmonds High School.

In 1944, she joined the U.S. Marine Corps in honor of her fiancé, who was shot down in a Boeing Flying Fortress in a raid over Germany. She was a member of a women’s rifle team and competed successfully at civilian rifle matches up and down the East Coast. She marched in the parade for Adm. Chester Nimitz when he returned from the Pacific. After the war, she joined the active reserves. Her time as a Marine was one of her proudest achievements. She left the military in 1950.

In 1948, she married Bruce Johnston. He preceded her in death in 1995.

As a civilian, Mrs. Johnston worked as a clerk for the city of Seattle for many years. She and her husband both retired in 1977, and moved to their vacation home near Yelm, Wash. In 1999, she moved to the Long Beach (Wash.) Peninsula to be near her daughter. Over the next 10 years, she created a beautiful garden around her Long Beach home, gardening actively into her early 80s. She greatly enjoyed the day when her garden was featured in June 2009 on the Peninsula Garden Tour. In late August 2009, she moved into Golden Sands Assisted Living where she found new friends, an active social life and membership in a women’s veterans group.

Family members said she enjoyed reading, crocheting, gardening, preserving her home grown fruits and vegetables, attending events at the Moose Lodge, and visiting with close neighbors. For 10 years, she and her husband were snowbirds, going to Arizona for six months out of the year.

She is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Skyler Walker and Allan Fritz; and a nephew, John Cox of Seattle.

A memorial gathering will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2 at Golden Sands Assisted Living, 21608 O Lane in Ocean Park.

Memorial contributions may be made to the South Pacific County Humane Society, P.O. Box 101, Long Beach, WA 98631.

Penttila’s Chapel by The Sea in Long Beach, Wash., is in charge of the arrangements. An online guest book is available at (www.penttilaschapel.com).