Virginia Maxine Barritt of Venice, Fla., formerly of Oak Bluffs and Boston, died Feb. 14 at the age of 81.

She was born Jan. 11, 1928, in Christopher, Ill., and grew up in Fairfield on a farm, the youngest of five children and the daughter of Orlie and Mary Burkitt. She graduated from Washington University School of Nursing as a registered nurse in 1948. She raised her family in Maryland outside Washington, D.C. She was active in community theatre and local and national politics.

Her muddy footprints made deep impression on the national mall during the Poor People’s Campaign March on Washington D.C. in Resurrection City in 1968. She spent summers on the Vineyard in the 1960s in Lobsterville and ran The Capricorn House guest house in Oak Bluffs in the mid-1970s. She resided in the South End of Boston for 27 years, working with the community to establish more park space, and took full advantage of the cultural richness in the area especially the Huntington Theatre. She retired to Venice in 2002 where she again became active in local and national politics, working especially hard to create a natural park space from the old water treatment plant in Venice, and to elect Barak Obama to the White House.

She loved the music and theatre nightlife of Sarasota County. Especially dear to her was the deep friendship and spirit of community she found with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice.

Survivors include her daughter Theresa Barritt and her children Laura and Evan of Halifax, Nova Scotia; son Christopher and his wife Eleonore and their children Christina and Bryan and grandchildren Madeleine and Ross of Mt. Airy, Md.; and son Timothy and his wife Kathryn and children Sam and Allison of South Burlington, Vt.

Visiting hours were held yesterday at the Farley Funeral Home in Venice. A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice today at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Venice, the Venice Democratic Party, or the Sierra Club.