Virginia Patton Moss, long-time Ann Arbor resident and ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ actor, dies at 97 - mlive.com

2022-09-24 02:23:04 By : Ms. Christie Zhang

A memorial dedicated to Virginia Patton Moss at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Virginia Patton Moss, was probably better known a member of the cast of the film “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

But she also was a longtime Ann Arbor resident, where she volunteered in her children’s schools and at church and also served as a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader and occasionally introduced the now-beloved Christmas movie at the Michigan Theater.

Moss, the final surviving adult member of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” died Thursday, Aug. 18, in Albany Georgia. She was 97.

Moss was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1925 and raised in Portland, Oregon. Her film acting career began when she was a teenager when she was signed under contract to Frank Capra and Warner Bros,, Universal Studios and others. She played Ruth Dakin Bailey, the sister-in-law of protagonist George Bailey, played by James Stewart, in the 1946 Capra film “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

She retired from a seven-year acting career at age 24 and settled in Ann Arbor with husband Cruse Moss.

“It was a choice she appeared to have embraced with full affection, energy, brains and talent,” said Russ Collins, executive director of Ann Arbor’s State and Michigan theaters.

Moss, known as Ginny in the Ann Arbor community, was a supporter of The Michigan Theater.

“She was willing to pitch in and make things happen in the community,” Collins said.

A plaque honoring one of Moss’ appearances can be found in the Michigan Theater lobby, 603 E. Liberty St.

A memorial dedicated to Virginia Patton Moss at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022.Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com

Moss was a student at both the University of Southern California and the University of Michigan and received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Cleary College and an Honorary Alumnae Award from Ohio University, according to her obituary from Matthews Funeral Home in Albany, Georgia.

She also served on the boards of the American Institute of Archeology, the Washtenaw County Mental Health Services Agency and Cleary University’s board of trustees, as well as the boards of the University of Michigan Kelsey Museum and the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments. Moss also was a docent at the University of Michigan Museum of Art for more than 25 years.

Donations can be made in Moss’ name to the ministry of choice at First Presbyterian Church, 1432 Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor, where Moss has been a member since 1960, according to a church spokesperson.

Moss was preceded in death by her husband of 69 years, Cruse Moss. She is survived by two children, Carol Moss Loop and Michael Cruse Moss, as well as seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

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