Naomi Vivian Vail's Obituary
Naomi Vivian Vail passed away Saturday morning, Dec. 31 in Many, Louisiana. She was days away from her 91st birthday.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 7, 2017, at 1:00pm at the Labby Funeral Home Chapel in, Leesville, LA. Burial will follow in the Castor Cemetery.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 7th, from 11:30am until time of service at the funeral home.
She lived her last 7 years under the loving attention and care of her daughter, Anita Hatcher and her son-in-law, John Hatcher in Leesville, LA.
Naomi was born January 26, 1926 in Maroa, Illinois. Her parents were James R. and Bessie Wheeler. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters, Martha, Helen, Kathryn, and her brothers Walter, and Guy, who died in childbirth. Her husband, Walter Vail, died May 7, 1959.
She is survived by her son, Michael Vail & wife, Sandra of Texas; daughter, Anita Hatcher & husband, John of, Leesville, LA; son, Rodger Vail & wife, Anita of Germany, and Gary Vail of Ecuador and her 11 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
Naomi was born feet first and she liked to say, “I hit the ground running, and I have been running ever since.’’
After high school, in 1944, Naomi worked at the Caterpillar plant in Decatur, IL who hired women during the war productions of WWII. There she met Walter Vail. They were married the next year, August 24, 1945. They lived in Mahomet, IL.
When Walter died in 1959, Naomi went to work again to provide for her 4 young children. In 1961 she was trained as an offset printing press operator at Colwell Professional Records in Champaign, IL. Naomi found a trade that she truly loved and had a long career as a printer for 49 years. At the age of 81 she was still operating an offset press at Lakeland Community College in Mattoon, IL. She was very proud of her accomplishment of the Vail genealogy which she traced back to the year 1000.
Naomi was a lifelong servant of her Lord. She spent one year in South Dakota to print publications for a Christian mission to Native Americans. In the last 30 years she attended her beloved New Life Church in Sullivan, IL.
Naomi is remembered by colleagues, friends, and family for her Christian charity and hospitality, her outgoing and generous nature, her work ethic, her joyful spirit, and witty humor. Her 80th birthday was celebrated in Champaign, IL with close to 75 friends, work colleagues, and family honoring her life, character, and unique personality. Many have said, “She was one of a kind.”
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