Vonnie Grovine Blosser (1933 – 2026)

Vonnie Grovine Blosser passed away on Friday, January 9, 2026, at Winchester Medical Center due to complications from influenza.

Vonnie Grovine Blosser

She was born on May 28, 1933, at Skyland as her family lived in the Hawksbill Gap area of what is now the Shenandoah National Park. Thereafter, she grew up in the Ida Valley area of Stanley, where residents were relocated after they lost their homes to the government. She often expressed a desire to return to live there, but found joy and comfort in day trips and picnics, reminiscing about how her parents and grandparents had thrived there.

She was a member of the Luray Christian Church, having been baptized in 1955. She was the daughter of the late Elmer Wade Bates and Mattie Virginia Taylor Bates Sours, and stepdaughter of the late Voyle Sours and Edna Bates. She was the granddaughter of W.D. (Dealon) Taylor and Lucinday Hester Sisk Taylor.

She is survived by her daughters, Eleanor (Larry) Lillard and Angela (Kim) Housden; her grandson, Brian (Stephanie) Lillard; and her great-granddaughters, Madalyn (Cade) Spittler and Makayla Lillard. She is also survived by her sister, Wanda (Mike) Duncan, niece Amy Griffith Painter, and nephew Stacey Griffith, all of Luray; her brother, Jerry Bates; and her sisters, Shirley Peeling, Christine Rupp, Sue Moody, Betty Darr, Frances Gladfelter, and Carolyn Stauffer, all of Pennsylvania. She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul W. “Buck” Blosser, and a brother, James Bates.

Vonnie was a CNA, receiving her training at Warren Memorial Hospital. She lovingly provided private care in the homes of numerous residents in Page and Rockingham counties. She was also previously employed by Luray Caverns Corporation. She and Buck drove vintage Cadillacs for years and enjoyed rides along the Skyline Drive, in Madison County, and wherever the scenic backroads would take them. She loved to read and garden, both vegetables and flowers, and maintained a Christmas cactus, which was her grandmother’s for over 70 years. In her final days, she savored fried shrimp, Christmas dinner prepared by her son-in-law Larry, homemade custard pie prepared by her brother-in-law Mike, and a special Christmas Eve dinner prepared by her granddaughter-in-law Stephanie.

She will always be remembered as a loving Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, and Sister.

Arrangements are entrusted to the Bradley Funeral Home of Luray, VA.

At her request, the casket will be closed, and there will not be a viewing.

A graveside service will be conducted by Pastor Alan Jones at 11 a.m. on Monday, January 12, at Evergreen Cemetery.

Friends and family may call at her daughter Eleanor’s home, 2380 Mims Road, Luray, VA.