1922 NEUMILLER 2013 (nee Bender)

Celia “Lil” Neumiller of Medicine Hat, passed away peacefully on Friday May 3, 2013, at the age of 90 years.

She was predeceased by her best friend and husband, Salvin, in March of 1994 and by her parents Frederick and Justina Bender; her siblings, Jacob, Otto, Adam, George, Chris, Cecilia, Pauline and Edna. She is survived by numerous nieces, nephews and their families. Lil was born the youngest of nine children at Hilda, Alberta on December 1, 1922, where she received her education. She later moved to Calgary where she was employed at a meat packing plant before furthering her education at S.A.I.T. It was in Calgary that she met Salvin Neumiller in May of 1947, he proposed on November 23, 1947, engaged on November 30th and married November 27, 1948. Following their marriage, Lil and Salvin settled in the Torrington area where they farmed for 30 years. They took a lot of pride in the appearance of their farm and always kept the yard looking meticulous. Lil was proud of her riding lawn mower, and always kept the grass manicured. They were among the first in the area to grow peas and canola. They retired to Medicine Hat in 1978 enjoying 45 wonderful years together. In their motor home, they travelled throughout Canada and the U.S.A. They also enjoyed tours of Europe, Alaska, South Pacific, and three trips to Hawaii. Lil loved her gardening and flowers, reading, fishing and visits with her friends and neighbours. She kept extensive family records and scrapbooks that contained years of news articles about every wedding, birth, and anniversary of family and acquaintances. Salvin and Lil were long time members of Victory Lutheran Church. Lil loved anything sweet, especially chocolate and ice cream. She always liked to look nice – had beautiful clothes and always looked like she just came from the hairdresser. Appearance was very important to her. Her favourite colors were dusty rose and pink. Even the furniture and curtains had to be these colors. If she dressed in blue and you had her favorite colors on, she wanted to trade clothes. She had a great sense of humor and when you saw a twinkle in her eye and a little smirk on her face, you knew a joke was coming. She missed Salvin every day for the last 20 years. During her last few years, she would tell us during visits that Salvin had been there to see her earlier that day. We will never know if Salvin had been there or not, but she said he was, and that is good enough for us. They are together and can visit each other forever. The funeral service will be held in Victory Lutheran Church (2793 Southview Drive SE) on Friday, May 10, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Barrett Scheske officiating. Interment will follow in the Hillside Cemetery. To e-mail an expression of sympathy, please direct it to: pattfh@telusplanet.net subject heading: Celia Neumiller or you may visit www.gonebutnotforgotten.ca and leave a message of condolence. Funeral Arrangements are by the PATTISON FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORIUM 540 South Railway St. SE, Medicine Hat T1A 4C2