The Legacy We Carry Forward
& the difference it has made beyond measure
For 45 years, Blue Ridge Care has walked alongside individuals and families through some of life’s most complex moments — offering compassion, dignity, and connection when it matters most. What began on February 14, 1981, with the admission of Blue Ridge Hospice’s first patient, has grown into something much larger: a coordinated system of care that adapts to real lives, real needs, and real moments.
This anniversary honors where we’ve been — and invites our community to help shape what comes next.
I never dared to imagine, when we admitted our first patient on Valentine’s Day in 1981, what Blue Ridge Hospice would go on to become.
Helen Zebarth, Our Founder
As Blue Ridge Care celebrates 45 years of caring for our community, we’re looking back at the people whose vision made it all possible.
Helen Zebarth, Gail Rodgers, George Caley, and Dr. Bill Houck, our Founding Four, each brought a different perspective, experience, and connection to the effort to bring hospice care to the community. Together, they helped introduce a new way of caring for people and families at the end of life, grounded in comfort, dignity, and quality of life.
A Message From Our President & CEO
The story of Blue Ridge Care has always been shaped by the ripple effects of individual people choosing to care, serve, give, and lead. Over 45 years, those moments have grown into a legacy that reaches far beyond what our founders could have imagined. Read our CEO’s anniversary reflection on the people who built that legacy, the impact they created, and why the butterfly effect continues with all of us.
The Legacy We Carry Forward: 45th Anniversary
The special anniversary insert published in The Winchester Star and Northern Virginia Daily on November 4, 2026, celebrates 45 years of Blue Ridge Care and the people whose vision, compassion, and service have shaped our story. Through stories, photos, milestones, and reflections, the insert honors those who helped build our legacy, the patients and families who have entrusted us with their care, and the community that has supported our mission for more than four decades.
Stories
Blue Ridge Care’s story cannot be told through dates and milestones alone. It lives in the experiences of the people who have shaped this organization over the past 45 years. We’re capturing and preserving those stories, honoring the individuals whose vision, dedication, compassion, and leadership helped create the organization we know today.
