Val Rhea Neeley

Val made her entrance to the world on October 16, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents Raymond and Erma Hill, along with sister Vonnie, moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to be near Erma’s family. By her own admission, she loved school and did well academically. It would take her another 31 years to finish her education (she was a little busy raising her family!) with a BA in Vocational Rehabilitation from Eastern Montana College. She married her high school sweetheart – Harry, after meeting in their school chorus. After his college graduation, they began the lifelong process of moving, circling the west – from Wyoming, to Texas, Nevada, California – finally ending up in Montana. Along the way Harry became an Episcopal priest and they spent the remainder of their lives in service to his churches and their extended communities. Their children arrived during that time – David in South Dakota, Robin in Wyoming, Erin in Texas. They had such an interesting and diverse history in the churches and towns – it makes for great (and lengthy!) reading. Val was an avid reader and loved to write – becoming a published author several times. She kept great records of their adventures and gained lifelong friends in the process. Val considered her family to be her greatest blessing and most valuable treasure; Mother – Grandmother – Great Grandmother, she said it just kept getting better and better! Val and Harry were married for 67 years, with him sadly but sweetly passing on their anniversary in 2021. She has spent the last five years living as a widow, doing her best to handle the challenges of aging and living out her faith. There is no doubt that they both influenced so many people for good throughout their years of service. Relationships were of utmost importance to her. Profound hearing loss made her work even harder to keep in close contact with her friends and family. Val was immensely blessed by the people who helped make her final years easier and more significant and her family is extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to be a part of her life. God bless you all!