Gina Denny

Gina Denny (Virginia Lee Updegraff Denny), talented pianist and piano teacher, adored wife, and caring mother, died on January 26, 2024, from lung cancer. She shared 69 wonderful years of marriage with Don Denny, who preceded her in death by less than two months. She will be remembered for her beautiful piano playing and her enormous appetite for life. Her energy was off the charts and enhanced the lives of everyone in her sphere.

Born and raised in West Hartford, CT, Gina discovered her love for the piano at an early age, going on to be a dedicated and passionate pianist her entire life. She was admitted to the Eastman School of Music, where she began her studies before transferring to the Hartt School of Music to study with Ward Davenny.

In the 1950s, Gina had a rich and exciting life in New York City. She studied dance with Merce Cunningham, and played a "taxi dancer" in Stanley Kubrick's first film, Killer's Kiss.

After Don got a tenured teaching position at the University of Maryland, the Dennys moved to Maryland. Gina began to build a thriving piano teaching practice, inspiring countless students over the years. She was also an active member of numerous piano groups, and a performing member of the Friday Morning Music Club in Washington, DC.

Gina's ashes will be interred next to her husband's in Woodland Cemetery in Ashland, VA. Woodland Cemetery is also the resting place of her parents, Rolland Ruch Updegraff and Virginia Carter Blasingame Updegraff, as well as her grandparents, James Carter Blasingame and Virginia Lee McKie Blasingame, whom she enjoyed visiting in Ashland as a child. Her grandmother was her first piano teacher.

Gina is survived by her sister, Polly Champ; her daughter and son, Alyson Denny and Tom Denny; her grandchildren, Tira Denny and Ry Denny; and her great-granddaughter, Zoey Loranger.