Vonda Mae (Mason) Gillespie, 86, of Albany, MO, passed away on Friday, September 9, with family by her side , at King City Manor, after a long illness.

Vonda was born on December 22, 1929, to John and Be u l a h (Jones) Mason, in Civil Bend, Missouri. She graduated from Civil Bend Public School .  She attended one semester at Northwest Missouri State Teachers College , where she met the love of her life, Russell Gillespie .  The two came to Kansas City , took the first train they could, which happened to be to Tulsa , OK , where they were married on December 10, 1947 .

Vonda and Russell lived on a farm near Albany , b ut moved to Kansas City during the Korean War, where she worked for a bakery and the Ford Motor Company, which was making airplane wings for the war effort. After the war, they moved back to farm in Albany , where she worked as a bookkeeper for the ASCS, Pepsi Bottling, Myers Accounting, and John Deere, and raised three children.

Vonda loved cooking for her extended family, and especially baking wonderful desserts. She taught 4-H cooking and baking classes and was also known for cake decorating. She loved saddle club, livestock shows, the state fair and vacationing with her family.  Vonda was a member of the Albany Baptist Church , and the Albany chapter of Athena International .  After r etirement, she and Russell split their time between Albany and Mission , Texas , enjoying the warm weather with the "Winter Texan" community , and the Red Hat Society .

She was preceded in death by her parents, and her brothers Jones Mason and Kenneth Mason.

Vonda is survived by her husband of 68 years , Russell Gillespie, also of Albany (currently of King City Manor -Fairview Village ) , and her brother, Glenn (Margaret) Mason, of Bethany .  She is also survived by her three children, Barbara Breen (Herb), Dean Gillespie (Karen), Linda Beatty (Alan), five grandchildren, Erin Breen , Ashley Breen Young , Macyn Gillespie , Collins Beatty , and Hope Beatty , three step-grandchildren, Glen n Hamilton , Jar e d Hamilton , and Grant Hamilton , and numerous great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.