Page County Chatter, Notes & Obituaries

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Heard Around Town

Asian Station, Luray’s newest restaurant is now open.  Located at 113 East Main Street, the restaurant serves popular Asian “street food,” sushi and daily specials.  Dine inside or in their outside seating area. Parking is available on-street or at the Luray Fire Department parking lot (when it is not being used for events).  For a full menu, hours and additional information, follow @AsianStationLuray on Facebook or call 540-244-2399.

Steel City Fitness, Luray’s newest gym, is accepting membership sign-ups online and is due to open its doors soon.  Located at 12 East Luray Shopping Center, the gym is offering discounts for seniors and first responders.  Membership forms may be accessed at steelvalleyfit.com.  For additional information, follow them on Facebook at @Steel.Valley.Fitness.

Flotzies, the popular ice cream stand near Wal-mart Shopping Center, will reopen under new ownership this summer.  Owners Jimmy and Arnetta Martz are currently working on employment opportunities, a menu and an opening date. For more information, follow them on Facebook @Flotzie’s.

A new restaurant will soon open in Luray, at the site of the former Sonny’s restaurant in Luray.  The new establishment is called “The Cowboys’ Country Club.” For more information, visit them on Facebook or call 828-644-0520. To add your email address to their newsletter, email fmj1947@yahoo.com.

A new ice cream shop will open soon behind the Hair Cottage in Luray (903 East Main Street).  Froster’s Ice Cream will offer milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits, Hawaiian shaved ice and more.  For additional information, follow them on Facebook or call (540) 843-3781.

As of yet, there seems to be no verifiable information about the re-opening date for Luray’s Dollar Tree. Initial reports indicated a May or June opening.  Now, it’s rumored to be July. 

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Page County Board of Supervisors May 15, 2023 Meeting Highlights

Supervisors Keith Guzy, Allen Louderback, Mark Stroupe, Larry Foltz, Jeff Vaughan, and Chairman Keith Weakley were present.

First Responder Recognition

Page County Emergency Services Director Matt Cronin recognized local first responders for their service during two incidents. On Feb. 7, EMS was dispatched for a 38-year-old female in cardiac arrest with CPR in progress by her husband. Personnel from the Luray Fire Department were the first to respond on scene, four minutes after dispatch, and began to assist with providing CPR. Page County career staff then arrived a minute later, five minutes after dispatch.

“As a team, crews worked together to provide CPR and advanced cardiac life support to the patient until she regained a pulse after approximately 24 minutes in cardiac arrest,” said Cronin. “Without the combined efforts of the 911 call taker, the patient’s husband and personnel from the Luray Fire

Department, Page County Fire-EMS and the Luray Rescue Squad, the patient would not have survived in order to receive subsequent care at the hospital.”

Cronin recognized first responders Sam Blosser, Damian Clark, Eric Breeden, Brandon Marston and Caden Speaks of the Luray Fire Department; Odessa Shenk and Andrew Miller of the Luray Rescue Squad; and Page County Fire-EMS members Nicholas Shifflett and Becky Hartsell.

During a separate call  on Feb. 17, Cronin continued, EMS was dispatched to the residence of a 71-year-old female complaining of chest pain.

“Working as a team, the crew was able to stabilize the patient and continue transport en route to the landing zone while treating additional arrhythmias with defibrillation and CRP,” said Cronin. Due to these efforts, “this patient was safely transferred to the flight crew where she was then able to arrive at the specialty cardiac hospital to receive the care she needed.” For their service, Cronin recognized Page County Fire-EMS members Matt Rinker and Morgan Coffman.

Budget Appropriations

Supervisors approved budget appropriations and school board transfers including $5,000 in state funds and $19,000 in local funds, increasing the Recreation Enterprise Fund by $12,000 and the Tourism Fund by $12,000. A transfer request by the Page County School Board will decrease the School Operating Fund by $36,180 and increase the School Capital Projects Fund by $36,180.

Old Business

Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to rescind a motion that passed on April 17, 2023 to appoint Brittany Montgomery to the District 1 seat on the Page County Tourism Council to fill an unexpired term through June 30, 2023, and to amend the motion to state that Montgomery’s term will

begin on July 1, 2023, following the expiration of Seretha Judy’s current term as the District 1 representative on June 30, 2023.

Administrator’s Report

Page County Administrator Amity Moler noted appointments needed for the Social Services Board, the Page County Economic Development Authority and the Northwestern Community Services Board. She noted that the two-year terms of all members of the Page County Tourism Council are set to expire on June 30, 2023, and that the council is set to review a draft amendment to the group’s bylaws. That amendment, according to Page County Attorney Michaeln Helm, would — if approved — take effect in 2025, allowing three members to serve an additional one-year term in order to begin staggering terms on the seven-member council.

OBITUARIES, May 12 – May 22

A rainbow appears over the Shenandoah Valley after a thunderstorm near Luray, Virginia in the Spring.Photo byLara Ellis Photography

Dorothea Burroughs Barber, Stanley - Dorothea "Dotsy" Burroughs Barber, 97, passed away on Friday, May 12, 2023, at Hidden Springs Senior Living in Bentonville.

James Curtis Drain Sr., Luray - James Curtis Drain Sr., 60, passed away on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Page Memorial Hospital.

Kay Agnes Purdham, Luray - Kay Agnes Purdham, 73, passed away on Saturday, May 13, 2023

Kathleen Suzanne Fenwick, Luray - Kathleen Suzanne Fenwick, 63, passed away on Monday, May 15, 2023, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Marjorie Loraine Banach, Stanley - Marjorie Loraine Banach, 91, passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at Blue Ridge Hospice in Winchester. 

David Junior Buracker, Luray - David Junior Buracker, 82, passed away on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

Solomon Edward Bruce Jr., Luray - Solomon Edward "Billy" Bruce Jr., 91, passed away on Friday, May 19, 2023.

Donald Vincent Feliciano, Luray - Donald Vincent Feliciano, 70, passed away on Friday, May 19, 2023, at Winchester Medical Center.

Alleta Lam Foster, Luray - Alleta Lam Foster, 86, passed away on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at Skyview Springs Nursing and Rehab.

Anna Mae (Campbell) Lam, Stanley