Vergia N. Liggon, 71, bank officer, artist and photographer

VERGIA LIGGON liked to say that she "put the D in Dance."

Which meant, of course, that she was never the last to hit the dance floor when the music started. She thrived on music and dancing and everything else that called for the kind of exuberance that Vergia demonstrated throughout her life.

"She was an extrovert," said her daughter, Donna Melissa. "She was fun to hang out with."

Vergia N. Liggon, internal auditor and financial analyst for Wachovia Bank, now Wells Fargo, who was later in customer relations for Citizens Bank, an artist, photographer and world traveler, died May 1 of cancer. She was 71 and lived in Yeadon, Delaware County.

After she retired in 2009, Vergia became active with the Star Harbor Senior Center in West Philadelphia, where her talent for painting and photography won her honors.

She exhibited her art at the annual shows organized by the Philadelphia Corporation of Aging at City Hall. She also learned to play the bells, did tap and salsa dancing, and joined in fashion shows. She took up public speaking and was studying Spanish.

Vergia was also a Girl Scout leader and member of the Ruby Red Hat Society.

She was born in Seneca, S.C., the youngest of the four children of Ezekiel Simpson and the former Elton Grant. At age 2, she moved north with her family, and she grew up in South and Southwest Philadelphia. She attended Wilson Elementary, Shaw Junior High and John Bartram High School, graduating in 1961. She earned a bachelor of science degree from Peirce College.

Vergia was baptized at Zion Hill Baptist Church, and later converted to Catholicism after marrying Noel E. Liggon, a computer analyst, on Sept. 24, 1966. She became a devoted member of St. Francis De Sales Church.

Vergia went to work for Wachovia, where she spent 35 years in various banking functions, finally becoming internal auditor and financial analyst. After leaving there, she worked for five years in customer relations at Citizens Bank. She retired in 2009.

"She loved to travel to places both near and far while spending time with her family and friends," her family said. She visited France, Spain, England and many U.S. states.

"Vergia had a vibrant and warm spirit," her family said. "She always valued her family and friends and the various joys of her life. She loved life, and had an infectious smile and a warm and caring heart."

Her husband died in 2013. Besides her daughter, she is survived by a sister, Lue Simpson Mitchell.

Services: Funeral Mass 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Francis De Sales Church, 47th Street and Springfield Avenue. Friends may call at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Chelten Hills Cemetery.