Obituary of Virginia D. Close

CLOSE - Virginia D. (nee Grist) May 31, 1922 to September 4, 2017. Beloved wife of the late William Close; she is survived by many friends and admirers, foremost being Mark Gress. Mrs. Close worked at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratories (Calspan) as a computer (performing calculations manually) and later as a computer specialist from 1948 until her retirement in 1980. Prior to that, she worked at Trico Corporation in their test lab, under Julian Oishei. Mrs. Close was an avid golfer, bowler, road rallyist and library volunteer into her 90's when she was sidelined by a hip injury. She had a love for Ted's Hot Dogs, meals from Helen's Kitchen and loganberry milkshakes. Mrs. Close and her husband, William, were instrumental in the development of road racing at Watkins Glen from 1948 through the mid-1980s. Together, they were Chiefs of Timing & Scoring at every F1 Grand Prix held at Watkins Glen, where they were recognized for defining and implementing the world-standard for T&S for Formula 1 racing. A lifetime member of the The Sports Car Club of America, she was often honored for her achievements. The SCCA Community has lost one of its oldest and dearest friends. Services were private.