Geneda Young Surber

Geneda Young Surber, 74, of Bristol, Virginia fell into the caring hands of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, at Bristol Regional Medical Center on Sunday afternoon, December 21 after battling metastatic cancer for several months. She had been hospitalized for the previous 19 days. Her husband and son and a dear longtime friend, Brenda Vanover, were by her bedside.

Surviving are her husband of 51 years, Fred Surber; son, Gary Christopher Surber; and her beloved brothers, James Young of Burkesville, Kentucky and Randall Young and wife Martha, of Celina, Tennessee. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edith and Emitt Young of Peytonsburg, Kentucky.

Geneda was born near Peytonsburg on June 2. 1951, delivered by a midwife. She graduated from Cumberland County High School in Burkesville, Kentucky and attended Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. She graduated in 1974 and moved to Marion, Virginia after marrying her husband. She loved working at the bank and meeting many customers who became good friends over the many years. Geneda had retired at the end of December 2020 after 34 years as a bank teller in the Bristol area. 

In recent years, she enjoyed trips to South Holston Lake with her son and watching Atlanta Braves baseball with her husband, Fred. She loved eating out with her friends and visiting shopping centers around Bristol, sharing good fellowship and talking about her precious dog, Willy, who often brought laughter and smiles to everyone around. She was especially proud of her son, Gary, and his academic accomplishments, graduating from Virginia Tech with honors and a degree in biology, and later from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD). He was the true love of her life. She was also an Elvis Pressley fan, having accumulated many of his albums over the years and enjoying his concerts that usually ended with a rendition of a gospel music song. She also loved trips to Virginia Beach where she and her husband enjoyed a timeshare for many years, cherishing quiet walks along the water. She was a caring mother, a loving wife, requiring little to bring happiness to her soul, a simple Kentucky girl who attended a little white church with her folks as a young girl, about a mile from their home on Cherry Tree Ridge, called Spears Chapel. 

We miss you dearly, and plan to meet again in heaven. 

Visitation at Farris Funeral Service in Abingdon, Virginia will be from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 27, followed by a celebration of life from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m and burial at Mount Rose Cemetery in Glade Spring, Virginia. Pastor Eric Ramey will preside over the service. Pallbearers will be Jason Surber, Wesley Surber, Lee Surber, Terry Johnson, Chad Tucker, and Josh Clevinger.

The family of Geneda Young Surber is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service, 427 E. Main Street, Abingdon, VA 24210.