Virginia A.

Chronister

YORK- Virginia A. (Stokes) Chronister, RN/CSN, 86 of York, passed away peacefully where she lived with her children on Thursday, November 12, 2026. She was the loving wife of the late Burton F. ‘Burt’ Chronister who passed away on December 16, 2008, they celebrated 44 years of marriage.

Born on September 25, 1940, in York, PA, Virginia was the daughter of the late Ernest and Mary (Anderson) Stokes.

In 1958, Virginia graduated from West Penn High School in York and then attended Harrisburg Hospital School of Nursing from 1958-1961 where she earned her RN and CSN designation. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from Saint Joseph’s College in North Windham, Maine on September 1, 1985, and earned her Master Equivalency Certificate from the PA Department of Education. In September of 1985 she was appointed as a school nurse at West York Area School District where she worked for 25 years. Virginia obtained a Pennsylvania School Nurse Professional Certificate from the Commonwealth of PA in August of 1985.

Much of Virginia’s life was centered around service to others, her family, and pets. In 1994, Virginia was presented the Gift of Time Tribute. Virginia served as a membership co-chair for Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) retired group, and was the president of the Theta Master, a chapter of the Beta Sigma Phi. She also served as the secretary for the West York School Employees Credit Union. Virginia attended classes and volunteered with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and was a proud supporter and patron of Strand Capital. Virginia was a proud voter and in 2025 she was inducted into the York County Voter Hall of Fame for her 50 years of consecutive voting at every November election. When Virginia was not serving others, she enjoyed gardening, reading books, and taking care of her family and her fur-grandchildren.

Virginia is survived by her daughter, Karen A. Chronister, and her son, Scott E. Chronister, both of York; her sisters, Carolyn Shoop of Hilton Head, SC., and Rosemary Stokes-Bolon of Goose Creek, SC.; various nieces and nephews, and numerous fur-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her brothers, Frank and Robert Stokes, and her sister, Pat Godfrey.

A celebration of life for Virginia will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 21, 2026 at Leber Funeral Home, 47 North Queen Street, Dover, PA. Her visitation will be from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Officiating at her service will be Mother Sara Ingalls-Howard.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests planting something in Virginia’s memory, reading a book, or donating to the Animal Rescue, Inc., 2 Heritage Farm Drive, New Freedom, PA 17349.

To share memories of Virginia, please visit www.leberfh.com