Virginia E. Grabiner

Virginia (nee Engquist) Grabiner, DCrim, of Buffalo, entered into rest on June 7, 2023 at age 77. Beloved wife of over 50 years to Gene Grabiner, PhD; devoted mother of Brian (Laurence) Grabiner, PhD and Nadia (Eric) Lane; cherished grandmother of Kyle and Aidan; loving daughter of the late Robert and Charlotte Engquist; dear sister of Deborah Engquist; also survived by many cousins and friends. Virginia earned a Bachelor’s Degree, Master's Degree and Doctorate of Criminology (DCrim) from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a professor at Buffalo State University for 37 years, where she founded the Women’s Studies minor and served as the chairperson of the Sociology Department. She won the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Virginia served as a copy editor for the book "Sociologists of the Chair," was on the editorial board of “Crime and Social Justice,” was an editor of the journal "Issues in Criminology" and was author of numerous scholarly articles. She was a member of Critical Criminology and invited scholar at Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an, China. Virginia was also a costume designer and sewing instructor for Summer at Sem, and an expert collector of Terri Lee Dolls. A memorial service will be held at a later date. If desired, contributions in Virginia’s memory may be made to Planned Parenthood, www.plannedparenthood.org.