Obituary of Wava McNeill

Longtime Burlington resident, Wava D. (Bridges) McNeill, passed away Friday, November 6, 2015, after a short stay at The Denver Hospice in Denver. She was 93 years old. Wava Dorene was born on April 16, 1922, in Houston, Missouri, the eldest child of seven children born to Elmer and Estella Bridges. Wava grew up in Houston and graduated from the local High School. Wava was working at a drug store in Houston when she met 1st Sgt. George H. McNeill who was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. They were married on February 5, 1943, in St. Louis, Missouri. Two children were born to this union, Thomas George McNeill and Donna Marie. After WWII, George and Wava moved to Burlington, Colorado, where Wava worked as a cook in the school system. They also opened and ran a local restaurant for a time. She eventually became a dietitian for the hospital where she worked until she retired in 1987. Wava was a dear, sweet, kind person that will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Growing up in a large family in the Great Depression, Wava always valued hard work. But she also loved her large, extended family very much. She also took great pleasure in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Wava especially enjoyed visits from the youngest members of her family and would laugh heartily at their antics. Wava enjoyed fishing and the family would often fish at Bonny Dam when she was younger. She also liked to garden and canned many of the vegetables that she and George grew. They also raised chickens and rabbits in the early years of their marriage. Wava also enjoyed the yearly trips that they would take to visit family in Missouri. Wava was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, George, both of her parents, three sisters, one brother, and her daughter, Donna Marie. She is survived by her son Tom and his wife Sandy, her brothers Marvin and his wife Audrey, Cloyd and his wife Paulette, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as several nephews and nieces.