Meet Bill and Ginny Ames: ‘They’re just all things Rochester’

ROCHESTER — Every married couple has probably heard the age-old question of “how did you guys meet?” But how many of those responses have paled in comparison to the story of Rochester’s Bill and Virginia “Ginny” Ames?

Both residents in Durango, Colorado, in 1975 — and neither a Colorado native — Bill and Ginny went out on a whim, not knowing all that the future had in store.

“We went out on a blind date, and I saw my buddy the next day on the street, and he said, ‘Hey, did you have that date last night?’” Bill Ames said. “I said, ‘I sure did,’ and he said, ‘How’d it go?’ Honest to God these were my words: I said, ‘Rob, it went so well that honest to God I think I’m going to marry this girl.’ Ten months later, we were married.”

A fairy tale love story of 48 years of marriage saw the Ames family live in seven states over a nine-year period, for Bill Ames’ work at Chevrolet Motor Division had their family on the move, but eventually they planted roots in Rochester, for 34 years now.

While Bill and Ginny raised their two daughters, Laura and Angie, little did they know that their family would expand exponentially throughout their time in Rochester.

Bill has volunteered on the Rochester High School football team as the wide receivers coach for 15 years, while Ginny wore many hats at Rochester High School, including that of assistant coach on the varsity competitive cheer team, head coach on the JV cheer team, and director of football operations for the varsity football team since joining the cheer staff in 1996.

“Rochester is a really, really special place to us and, obviously, it’s a lot more than the football program or the athletic program,” Bill Ames said. “One of the things about Rochester that is so symbolized by the spirit and what have you that (Rochester football coach Erik Vernon) has created with the football program is that we constantly are driven by a phrase that we call ‘Roc Tough.’

Rochester High School showed its appreciation for Bill and Ginny when the Rochester High School Athletic Hall of Fame inducted both in September 2021, which came two months before Ginny’s passing on Nov. 24, 2021, at the age of 70. She died after a battle with glioblastoma brain cancer.

Ginny was in hospice when the couple found out about their induction, and Bill Ames said there was nothing stopping her from being at the induction ceremony.

“When they told us the induction was three weeks later, I wasn’t sure she’d still be here,” Bill Ames said. “There’s another thing about Ginny, and she was bedridden at the time, and the next day, my youngest daughter, Angie, was here, and she (Ginny) looked her (Angie) in the eye and said, ‘Angie, I’m getting better.’ She (Angie) said, ‘I know you are, mom.’ She (Ginny) said, ‘No, listen to me, I’m getting better, I’m getting out of this bed, and I am going to walk onto that field for that induction.’ She (Ginny) said, ‘I don’t mean that he’s going to be pushing me in any (expletive) wheelchair. I am walking onto that field.’ By God, she did.”

It was a special moment for Bill and Ginny as Rochester players made a tunnel for the couple to walk through, and moments like that showed the love Rochester has for the Ames family.

It’s not often you see a husband-wife duo on a football coaching staff, and Bill and Ginny Ames brought everything they could to the Rochester football team.

“They’re good people that do what’s best for kids,” Rochester Athletic Director Dean Allen said. “They had daughters that went through here, and they’re just all things Rochester. They bleed blue and white. Football and cheer are their two main passions.”

A multisport athlete at the College of Emporia in Kansas, Bill Ames was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame for football and baseball. Ames was a wide receiver in college, so when Rochester football coach Erik Vernon called on Ames to join the staff, he found his rightful spot as the wide receivers coach.

Ginny Ames, on the other hand, was too busy taking part in countless state championships as part of Rochester varsity competitive cheer coach Susan Wood’s coaching staff, having a hand in 10 state championships while also witnessing both her daughters compete for Rochester competitive cheer as well.

If her cheer résumé didn’t speak for itself, Ginny was named Woman of the Year in 2018 by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association for her efforts as director of football operations.

“The amazing thing about my wife that people noticed immediately and always stood out to me was that she was the most selfless person I ever met,” Bill Ames said. “Anybody that she ever met got the feeling that, ‘You know, this lady really cares about me.’ I would say above everything else, that was the secret to her success in making people feel like they were really important and that they can trust her.”

Bill and Ginny Ames were avid golfers together while also being grandparents to their four grandchildren. When both of their daughters attended Michigan State University, Bill and Ginny became season ticket holders for 15 years, attending countless football games.

The impact the Ames family has made is unmeasurable for the Rochester community, and only continues to grow with every football player and cheerleader who has felt the care and support Bill and Ginny Ames provided over the past couple decades.

“I know Ginny is still missed amongst our circles over here,” Allen said. “There’s a lot of things that go into a football program, a cheer program and athletics. A lot of important parents behind the scenes with team parents and team moms, and they really helped the machine turn into a well-oiled machine. They were just those two people.”