Virginia Sharp Lott, 94, community volunteer

Virginia Sharp Lott, 94, of Gladwyne, daughter of the creator of the Whitman's Sampler and widow of national squash racquets champion H. Hunter Lott Jr., died Wednesday, Aug. 12, of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Waverly Heights.

Her son, H. Hunter Lott III, said Mrs. Lott had lived since 2007 at the continuing-care community, where her wit, spirit and energy were admired by staff and residents.

The youngest of six children of Walter Patton Sharp Sr., and Edith Huggard Sharp, Mrs. Lott was born and reared in Bryn Mawr.

It was her father, then president of Whitman's Candies, who in 1912 thought of creating the Whitman's Sampler, based on a cross-stitch sampler hanging on the wall at his home.

He also came up with the idea of writing the name of each chocolate inside the box lid for easy selection, his family said. By 1915, the Sampler had become the most popular assortment in the Whitman's line, according to a company biography.

Mrs. Lott, known as Ginny, attended Shipley School but graduated from Agnes Irwin School. She attended Sarah Lawrence College but did not graduate.

She met her future husband on New Year's Eve 1940. They had planned to marry in 1942, but the bombing of Pearl Harbor changed everything. They married instead on Dec. 13, 1941, just before he left for Europe with the Army. The couple eventually settled in Bryn Mawr and had a son and a daughter.

Mrs. Lott's life was a testament to Agnes Irwin's school motto - non sibi sed allis - meaning "not for one's self but for others." She was a longtime volunteer in her community.

For 55 years, she volunteered each week at Bryn Mawr Hospital, often saying that she had missed her true calling to become a nurse. She also served on the board of Children's Aid Society of Philadelphia for decades.

An accomplished horsewoman, she showed horses at the Devon Horse Show during her youth, winning dozens of ribbons, and later served for 40 years on the Devon show organizing committee. She also rode with the Radnor Hunt.

In addition, Mrs. Lott supported her husband by attending hundreds of squash matches as he became national squash racquets singles and doubles champion many times, both before and after his World War II service.

Mr. Lott won the 1949 National Squash Championship for singles and is considered by many to be among the greatest right-wall doubles-squash players of the 20th century. Between 1938 and 1953, Mr. Lott won eight doubles national championships, five with Bill Slack and three with Diehl Mateer.

"Ginny played a keen game of squash and tennis, herself," said her son. "Her wicked tennis forehand was legendary within the family." She and her husband were members of Merion Cricket Club for more than 60 years.

Besides her son, she is survived by a daughter, Ann Huyghues Despointes; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and two nieces.

Mrs. Lott's husband died in 2005 at age 90. Two brothers and three sisters also died earlier.

A memorial service is to be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, in the main sanctuary at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave., Bryn Mawr. Interment is to be private.

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