Norfolk Master Gardeners
830 Southampton Ave., Ste 2069
Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1045
In Memoriam
Margene Swift
Emerita Master Gardener
Margene joined Norfolk Master Gardeners with the Class of 2004 and soon found that she enjoyed working on many projects. As a member of the Street Tree Inventory team, she hit the pavement each week to match street trees to the city inventory, measuring trees and making notes on pruning needs or hazardous conditions. Margene participated in the Beautiful Gardens test site project at Norfolk Botanical Garden for several years where she worked to cultivate superior ornamental plants. She worked with our early Water Steward crews to install the “Wazoo” rain gardens at the Virginia Zoo and was a regular “Dunie” at the Native Dune Garden at East Beach.
Always ready to engage and educate the public, Margene took part in many Community Outreach info tables and plant clinics. She also served two years as a Member at Large on the NMGA Steering Committee.
Margene will always be associated with the Zoo Garden project. She was Co-Leader for more than 12 years and helped coordinate the weekly work sessions as well as NMG displays for the Zoo’s most popular annual events - Party for the Planet was a standout for her. Above all, Margene enjoyed the people she worked with, and the friendships made with her fellow Norfolk Master Gardeners.
Margene attained Emerita status in 2023 and passed away on July 12, 2024.
Vicki Berry Dickerson Trexler
Active Master Gardener
Vicki Trexler joined the Class of 2012 after a number of years in a garden club, as a way to learn more about one of the many subjects she loved – among them foxhunting, corgis, and tea parties – but most especially gardening.
Vicki found her niche as a member of some of the committees that give structure to our many VCE-MG projects. She served as a Steering Committee Member-at-Large for more than one term, and also on the Hospitality and Intern Training Committees. She was a long-time participant in the Speakers Bureau, helping with speaker development and program planning.
Vicki passed away on October 7, 2023.
James A. Cole
Master Gardener Emeritus
Jim Cole joined Norfolk Master Gardeners with the Class of 2001, two years after his wife Josephine. Jim participated in many different projects, including at Weyanoke Sanctuary, the Fred Heutte Center vegetable garden, Zoo Barnyard Garden, and the Beautiful Gardens plant assessment project at NBG. Jim was one of the first to take Water Steward training and co-planned the first WaZoo rain garden installed at the Zoo. He was especially proud of his home rain garden.
Jim was named an Emeritus MG in 2011 but while his health permitted he continued to tend the heirloom rose garden he and Josephine had planted at their church. Jim passed away on September 16, 2023.
Thomas E. West
Active Master Gardener
Tom West, Class of 2007, loved to grow food – and he loved to give it away. Whether teaching small children in the Li’l Sprouts project at St Pat’s or growing a bounty of crops in the Square Foot Demonstration Garden at the Fred Heutte Center, Tom practiced what he preached – and delivered over 1,500 pounds of produce each year to the Foodbank of Southeast Virginia. Tom’s efforts were recognized when the SFG was awarded 2nd place in the 2021 Search for Excellence campaign for International Master Gardener Conference.
Tom was a dedicated member of the Significant Tree team for many years and also served as Treasurer and as a Member at Large for the NMGA. He worked the tiller for the installation of a series of rain gardens at the Virginia Zoo. In 2022 Tom received the NMGA Keystone Award for his continuing contributions to the Master Gardener program and to the Association. In Tom’s spare time he was a long-standing Board member for the Friends of Fred Heutte.
Tom logged close to 6,500 volunteer hours as a Norfolk Master Gardener before he passed away on August 13, 2023.
Jacqueline P. Camire
Master Gardener Emerita
Jackie Camire was an accomplished photographer who sold her work at juried art shows before becoming a Norfolk Master Gardener in the Class of 1999. With a ready smile and boundless energy, Jackie quickly became one of the Intern Training co-leaders. She served as Treasurer and then Chair of the NMGA and worked on the Arbor Day and Green Thumb committees. She also was co-leader for the Pagoda Garden project, giving tours but more often pulling liriope. Jackie drove a Mustang convertible with license plates MSTRGDNR and was one of the first to plant milkweed in her colorful Norview garden. Her gorgeous flower photos were often featured in the Germinator and are prized by those who have framed prints.
Jackie was awarded Emerita status in 2012. She passed away on May 20, 2023.
Margaret Greene Brown
Active Master Gardener
Maggie Brown became a Master Gardener in 2010 after retiring from the Navy with the rank of RMCM(SW). Among her earliest activities were mornings at the Help desk, researching and responding to garden questions from the public. For several years she participated in the Beautiful Gardens project at Norfolk Botanical Garden and as a moderator for the Mid-Atlantic Horticulture Short Course. Maggie also served on the Intern Training Committee for many years and played a key part in the online series Master Classes for Norfolk Gardeners when the covid pandemic caused our 2021 training class to be canceled.
Maggie enjoyed long walks at NBG where she took extraordinary photographs of plants, flowers, and wildlife. She completed a two-year term as At-Large member of the Steering Committee before passing away on December 17, 2022, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Juanita Major Snead
Active Master Gardener
Juanita Snead and husband Lenny had a vision when they took the training class together in 2004: to establish a vegetable garden at the East Ocean View Recreation Center, where children could plant and learn about where real food comes from. For several years Lenny and Juanita led the Children’s Garden at EOV Rec Center and had the most fun in summertime when the kids took part. They always finished the garden season with a fish fry featuring their own fresh vegetables.
Lenny died in 2009; the following year the City of Norfolk recognized the Sneads’ work at EOV Rec Center. Juanita was noted as “a Model and Mentor to the youth of East Ocean View.”
Juanita continued as Project Leader for the Children’s Garden until her passing on November 26, 2022.
Charles L. Gibson, II
Master Gardener Emeritus
A member of the Class of 2008, Chuck Gibson’s passion was improving water quality and stormwater management for the city of Norfolk. He served as co-leader for both the Docent Program at the Hermitage Museum & Gardens and for the Lafayette Wetlands Partnership. He earned Water Steward certification in 2010 by developing the rain garden between Fellini's and Knitting Mill Creek community garden.
Chuck was a skilled woodworker and installed raised beds at the Hermitage so their young campers could develop an interest in gardening. Chuck had a previous career as a professional photographer and for many years his wonderful shots of plants and their pollinators highlighted the monthly Gardener’s Eye feature in the Germinator newsletter.
Chuck was awarded Master Gardener Emeritus status in 2021. He passed away on October 10, 2022.
Kathleen Frances Renault
Master Gardener Emerita
Kathy had been an RN for over 40 years, working in clinical and teaching settings, when she moved to Virginia. In her retirement years, she especially loved gardening and joined the NMG Class of 2002. She immediately signed up for the Horticulture Therapy project – except that it was called The Windowsill Garden back then. She was co-leader for Hort Therapy and worked many hours every month at Sentara Leigh in their Day Rehab clinic, and at Sentara Norfolk General for the long-term rehab and mental health clinics. Although best known for Hort Therapy she also enjoyed getting her hands dirty at our annual Arbor Day tree seeding at the city’s St. Bride’s nursery in Chesapeake. She was a long-time volunteer behind the scenes in the greenhouse at Norfolk Botanical Garden.
Kathy served in several officer roles on the NMGA Steering Committee, including the position of Vice-Chair, and was awarded the status of Master Gardener Emerita in 2013. She passed away on January 31, 2022.
Donnell Smith Catherines
Master Gardener Emerita
Donnell joined Norfolk Master Gardeners with the Class of 1992. Her true love was trees – she was one of our unit’s original Tree Stewards and has long been fondly called the “Evergreen Font of Knowledge.” She participated in the Street Tree Inventory for several years and later as that evolved into the Significant Tree Program.
Donnell had an innate sense of design that she used to benefit Norfolk Master Gardeners. The NMGA flower & hands logo graces many logowear polos and tees, an ongoing testament to her graphic skills. She was a lead contributor to a 1994 NMG fundraising booklet that featured information on how to grow, use and cook with herbs. She served on the Steering Committee as Historian for the 2005-2007 term, documenting each year’s accomplishments in artistic and professional scrapbooks. When our Pagoda and Oriental Garden Project began, she produced a schematic landscape design of that garden, identifying plants and their location.
After more than 20 years’ service, Donnell earned Emerita status in 2015. She passed away on May 29, 2021 at the age of 80.
Anne Johnson
Master Gardener Intern
Anne joined us for the Class of 2020 (a year like no other). She never missed a class. When COVID struck and we suspended in-person classes she jumped on the Zoom bandwagon and finished her classes and her project.
Finding her way quickly, she volunteered with the Potager Garden, Weyanoke, EMC Eco-Garden as well as with Lafayette Wetlands Partnership, Slover Seed Library and Community Outreach at 5 Points before relocating to Oklahoma after her diagnosis. She was a regular participant at Membership Meetings and enjoyed many educational webinars (earning training hours even though not needed!)
She was a kind and thoughtful person - always sitting in the front row at class! Anne passed away on April 26, 2021.
Anne Keck Redfern
Master Gardener Emerita
Anne Redfern married into a gardening family, and it was not surprising that she should join the first Master Gardener course when it was offered in Norfolk, only eight years after the program was established on the other side of the country in Washington state.
During her active years Anne was very involved with Intern Training and as a mentor for new NMGs, and enjoyed working as a Plant Doctor. She received Emerita status in 2013.
Anne was the last remaining member of the Norfolk Master Gardener Class of 1988. She passed away at the age of 85 on November 19, 2020. In addition to many fond memories, she leaves as her Master Gardener legacy her son Will, NMG Class of 2018.
Frances Daniels McCraw
Active Master Gardener
Frances McCraw joined Norfolk Master Gardeners with the Class of 2007. She involved herself in the annual Plant Sale and in Intern training for several years, but was particularly devoted to working on Zoo Garden activities. A lifelong learner – she had retired from the ODU Library – Frances enjoyed as many of our Continuing Education opportunities as were offered.
With an eye for color and a flair for style, Frances enjoyed her longtime position as Logowear Coordinator, helping Norfolk MGs choose just the right shirt or specialty item. She also served a two-year term on the Steering Committee as Member-at-Large.
Frances loved being a Master Gardener, and all who met her could not help loving her. Frances passed away on August 12, 2020. She was 84.
George Gaydos
Master Gardener Emeritus
George completed his MG requirements in 2002 and for over ten years he worked on programs related to the city’s tree canopy. Many MG trainee classes owe appreciation to George as the man who made the coffee for us very early in the morning at Norfolk Botanical Garden – and he greeted us every day with a cheerful “Merry Christmas,” a holdover from his earlier Navy career when Every Day was a Holiday.
George was a regular at the Street Tree Inventory and annual Arbor Day tree adoption before earning Emeritus status in 2013. He passed away on January 2, 2020.
Randi Ferraro
Active Master Gardener
Randi Ferraro joined the Class of 2014 following a career with Norfolk’s Dept of Economic Development. Her vibrant personality made her shine in every Master Gardener program she worked in, most frequently the Butterfly House, the Zoo Horticultural Cart, and the East Beach Native Dune Garden.
Randi co-chaired the committee that brought Advanced Regional Training to Slover Library in spring 2017, with the theme of “Garden Legacies.” Just a few weeks before her death, Randi donated candy and helped assemble Oyster Keepsakes for the swag bags given out at Master Gardener College held for the first time in Norfolk.
Randi passed away on October 4, 2019.
George Wickens
Master Gardener Emeritus
George hit the ground running right after becoming a Master Gardener in 1997, volunteering almost full time in the greenhouse at Norfolk Botanical Garden. He also took part in the annual Arbor Day tree giveaways and the Help Desk. George was the unit’s A/V person of his day and organized the purchase of our first audio system and projector. According to Gill, George would likely still be gardening with us had he not gotten tangled up walking one of the family’s Great Danes – his daughter raised several – and been badly injured. George earned over 2020 hours by the time he retired due to health reasons and was made an Emeritus MG.
George passed away at the age of 91 on June 16, 2019. We’ve heard all the family photos were of his garden or the dogs!
Betty Trout
Master Gardener Emerita
Betty Trout was an avid and energetic gardener, originally volunteering at Norfolk Botanical Garden after she retired and then at the Fred Heutte Center beginning in early 1993. “After a year, having been introduced as a Norfolk Master Gardener, which wasn't quite so, my conscience began to bother me. So I took courses, passed my exams, and became an ‘honest’ member of the Norfolk Master Gardeners” with the Class of 1995. Betty devoted many hours to the Herb Garden at the Fred Heutte Center and regularly conducted walking tours of the property. Even after the passage of years she is fondly remembered by the Friends of Fred Heutte Foundation as “a jewel”! Betty passed away on March 29, 2019 at the age of 95.
Bob Hudson
Master Gardener Emeritus
Bob Hudson was certified as a Norfolk Extension Master Gardener in 2005. During his tenure he served in several leadership positions, to include the NMGA Steering Committee and the City of Norfolk’s Tree Commission. But above all else, Bob was known for his leadership of the Significant Tree Program that he helped to establish in 2009. Arriving promptly every Monday morning in his STP-mobile, Bob developed training for countless MG Interns and MGs in tree identification and measuring techniques. He was passionate about trees and the Master Gardeners who supported the STP program. He retired from active Master Gardener status in April 2017 after contributing more than 3,000 hours of volunteer time. He was awarded Emeritus Master Gardener status on May 3, 2017. Bob passed away on November 12, 2018.
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