Edith Johnson Gyakum

Edith (Edie) J. Gyakum, a resident of Greenspring Senior Living Community, Springfield, Virginia, passed away at the age of 103 on June 29, 2021 at Fairfax Hospital. The cause of death was complications of rib fractures in an accidental fall. She is survived by her son, John R. Gyakum (Carol) of Montréal, Québec, Canada; her son-in-law, Stephen J. Alfred of Hilton Head, SC; her grandsons, Joseph Hungate (Anne) of Apex, NC, Timothy and James Gyakum of Montréal; her granddaughter, Kara Hungate of Cleveland Heights, OH; and her great-granddaughters Molly and Maggie Hungate of Apex, NC. She was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, John M. Gyakum, and by her daughter, Rita Gyakum Hungate.

Edie was born in Hampton, VA, and grew up in a community of fishermen in the Fox Hill region. During the 1930s, her future husband, John, was serving in the US Army Air Corps at nearby Langley Field. Edie and John met at a local grocery store, where she was a cashier and he was purchasing a loaf of whole wheat bread, an uncommon product at the time. A life-long romance began with John, though not with the whole wheat.

By the 1940s, Edie and John settled in Alexandria, VA for the duration of their marriage. Throughout this period, she devoted herself unconditionally to her family. She was a staunch advocate of her children’s interests, with similarly strong dedication to the needs of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Edie and John were charter members of Messiah Lutheran Church in Alexandria, whose founding occurred in 1954. Edie also enthusiastically served for over 30 years as a Volunteer at the Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. She was an avid bowler, correspondent, and automobile driver. She relished the role of driving her family on their numerous cross-country road trips during the 1960s. After her husband’s death, Edie moved to the Greenspring Retirement Community in 2008, where she lived quite independently until just a few weeks prior to her passing. The dedicated staff of the Inova Fairfax Hospital provided her with exemplary care, and offered significant support to her family who were at her side during her final days. Edie’s unfailing discipline, kindness, and integrity will be sorely missed by all of her friends at Greenspring, and especially by her surviving relatives.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Metropolitan Washington DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (http://metrodcelca.org/give/), or to the Inova Health Foundation (https://support.inova.org/page/3974/donate/1?ea_tracking_id=redirect&_ga=2.136788656.1698227739.1627613386-28958094.1627613386

The funeral service will be held at Demaine Funeral Home (520 South Washington Street, Alexandria, Virginia) at 11:00 AM on Friday, June 24, 2022. The procession to Arlington National Cemetery will depart at 12:45 PM, with the Rite of Committal occurring at 2:00 PM. Further information will be provided at the Demaine Funeral Home site (https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/alexandria-va/edith-gyakum-10253960 ).