Florence Virginia Snook
September 6, 1927 – December 2, 2024

Florence Virginia "Virgie" Snook went to her heavenly home on December 2, 2024 at 97 years of age. She was a beloved Christian woman who went by mom, sister, grandma, great-grandma, great-great-grandma, aunt, friend, neighbor, Virgie, and Miss Poopsie. Her loving family and all who knew her will miss her smile, quick wit, and bubbly personality. She lit up every room she was in and welcomed all into her circle of friends.

Virgie was born the second oldest of six children on a farm in Arriola, Colorado to John and Jessie Dobbins. She has three sisters: Millie Hutson in New Mexico, Esther Winsor in Arizona, and Louise Wilemon in Georgia. Her two brothers preceded her in death: Ernie Dobbins who lived in Colorado and Albert Dobbins who lived in Texas.

Virgie has three children: Don (and Tammy) Snook who live in New Mexico, Bob (and Sherri) Snook who live in California, and Sandi (and Walt) Priebe who live in Arizona. She was lovingly called "Grandma Poopsie" by several of her six grandchildren: Eric (and Tara) Snook, Florida; Shana (and Brian) Penner, California; Joel (and Shelly) Snook, Maryland; Erika (and Mike) Van Ert, Wyoming; Monica (and Mark) Dixon, Colorado; Trisha (and Keith) Hickerson, Texas. Virgie has 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild (with a second one due this week). She also has numerous nieces and nephews plus many friends.

She was raised in Oxford and Durango, Colorado, graduating from Durango High School in 1944. She was married to Bob Wilson who was killed in a traffic accident in 1951 and Tom Snook who passed away in 2017. Her family was with her when she peacefully passed away at Magnolia Crossing Assisted Living in Clovis, California, a beautiful facility she contentedly called home for the last several years. She will be laid to rest at
Greenmount Cemetery in Durango, Colorado.

Virgie enjoyed a long career as a Mountain Bell telephone operator. In her younger days, she enjoyed square dancing, bowling, and daily walks. She played many board and card games, always a fierce competitor. She loved going to country music concerts at the fair and watching horse racing in person, her dream was to someday attend the Kentucky Derby.

Her favorite time of the year was Christmas! She listened to Christmas carols October to January, and decorated her house from floor to ceiling with tinsel, garland, lights, a beautiful tree, and lots of holiday figurines. During the Christmas season, she invited everyone in for a cup of cocoa and a piece of homemade fudge or a brightly decorated Christmas cookie.

She loved being a homemaker and delighted in cooking, baking, and keeping a meticulously clean house. One of her greatest pleasures was eating ice cream. She also loved fresh fruits and vegetables, especially raw onions. She often said she hoped there would be food in heaven because she couldn't imagine an eternity without cornbread and beans.

Virgie took pride in her appearance, wearing color-coordinated outfits, not a hair out of place, and she loved her bling: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings.

One of her greatest joys was spoiling her grandkids. Her family meant everything to her, she encouraged the pursuit of goals, and she was proud of every person's accomplishments, large or small. She prayed out loud for each member of her family every day. Her unconditional love extended to everyone and knew no bounds.

She had a particularly soft spot in her heart for animals. She loved her parakeet and her little dogs and regularly volunteered to take care of her family's pets. The only animal she disliked was a zoo giraffe that licked her in the face with its long, gaggy tongue.

Above all else, Virgie loved her Jesus and her Bible, with many of her favorite verses found in Psalms. She cherished the old-time hymns, especially The Old Rugged Cross, Precious Memories, and I Come to the Garden Alone. She taught her family to love the Lord, encouraging everyone to make sure their hearts were right with God so we could all be together in heaven.

Virgie had a unique monotone way of singing and recently said that she was looking forward to heaven where she was sure she would have a beautiful, melodic voice to loudly sing praises of joy. She jokingly said she also planned to sing a few of her favorites when she got to heaven, including Yankee Doodle and She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain.

She seldom said goodbye without adding that she loved you to the moon and back. Or that she loved you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck. If you listen carefully to the gentle breeze, I'm sure you'll hear her precious voice whispering quiet words of encouragement and love. Perhaps you'll even be lucky enough… every once in a while… to hear a few notes of one of her favorite songs.

Rest in peace. We'll see you when we get there. And we'll always love you to the moon and back