Obituary of Virginia Shannon Meloney

Virginia Shannon Malany-Meloney, daughter of the late Rev. and Mrs. Rollin D. Malany, and recent recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal for her service as a civilian pilot for the Army Air Force during World War II died Monday, September 14, 2015 at Veterans Administration Medical Center. She had been an early member of the WASP, Women Airforce Service Pilots, the first female in our country's history to pilot military aircraft. Born in 1919 in Hartford, CT, she was schooled at Antioch College, Wayne University, the University of Alaska and Dartmouth College. She became a professional actress and a commercial pilot but also gave much of her life to journalism, progressive politics, social work, lecturing and tree farming. During the war, Meloney flew for the Air Transport Command as a ferry pilot, taking planes from factories to both coasts and other areas where needed. She piloted more than 25 types of craft, from the single-engine to the four-engine bombers. Following this she volunteered for the Red Cross and served in France and Bavaria in 1945 and 1946. It was her contact with the Quakers and acquaintance with their selfless work in rebuilding Europe plus her witness to the horrors of war that made her a committed pacifist. Her years as a journalist began on the Binghamton Press, NY; she worked for several newspapers in New Hampshire and a St. Petersburg, FL daily. In 1986 Meloney was given the "Unsung Heroine" award by the state of New Hampshire. Until its recent demise, she was on the advisory board of "World Peace News" which advocated a democratic world federal government with the power, through enforceable laws, to keep peace between nations. A lifelong Episcopalian, Virginia attended St. Paul's Cathedral in Syracuse. Her survivors include her beloved brother, Charles Rollin Malany (Mary) of Syracuse and his stepsons, Dan and Steve Pilbeam. her nephews, Dr. David M. Gay (Tanner) of Albuquerque, NM and Dr. J. Douglas Gay of Denver, CO; her cousins, William S. Wolston (Susan) of Lexington, VA, Dr. E. Jonathan Wolston (Nancy) of Providence, RI; her former husband, John M. Meloney of Ft. Charlotte, FL. A memorial service will be held Sunday, September 27, 2015, 2:00 PM. in St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 220 East Fayette Street, Syracuse.