Vivian Blackshear Obituary

Vivian "Vee Vee" Hoke Smith Luke Blackshear
March 3, 2026
Vivian "Vee Vee" Hoke Smith Luke Blackshear, 88, passed away on March 3 peacefully at her home in Saluda, NC with her daughters present, following a prolonged illness. She is predeceased by her husband, Dr. Stuart Grady Blackshear, her parents, Vivian Hoke Smith and Dr. Keitt Hane Smith of Greenville, SC and her brother, Keitt Hane Smith, Jr. Vee Vee is survived by her daughters, Vivian Rawls Luke of Gainesville, GA and Allison Keitt Luke of Savannah, GA; her sister, Lesesne Smith Dickson of Greenville, SC and many beloved family members.
After graduating from Greenville High School, she attended finishing school at La Chatelaine in Neufchatel, Switzerland. After a year abroad, she attended University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority.
After graduating from USC, she worked in Greenville, SC and Atlanta, GA. After moving back to Greenville, she met her first husband, Daniel Rawls Luke, MD. After marriage, they moved to Gainesville, GA, where they raised their two girls. She married "the love of her life" Stuart in 1978.
She was a member of the Junior League of Gainesville, GA, a member of The Children's Theatre, served as President of the NE Ga Speech and Hearing Center, and was an active member of the Auxiliary of the Hall County Hospital, now the NE Georgia Medical Center. Vee Vee was an active member of Chattahoochee Country Club and several charitable committees and social clubs.
Vee Vee loved to travel, nationally and internationally, with her parents, with her husband Stuart and daughters, Vivian and Allison. She went on 15 cruises with her daughters.
In 2002, Vee Vee moved to her family home, Bon Air, in Saluda, NC. Through the years, some of her favorite times were spent on "Smith Hill" and out at Lake Summit on the family property with her many cousins.
She was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Saluda, NC, and a former member of Grace Episcopal Church of Gainesville, GA. She served on the altar guild of both churches, and headed the altar guild for several years at the Transfiguration.
A funeral service will be held at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Saluda on 11 am on Saturday, March 14. In lieu of flowers, the family would like memorial donations to be made to the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Saluda, NC.