Valerie Rae Kerbel, 51, of Greeley, Colorado passed away unexpectedly Friday, November 9, 2012, at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.
Her funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 20, 2012, at Emmanuel Congregational Church in Scottsbluff with Dr. Edward Veldhuizen and Pastor Doug Rupp officiating. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Park in Scottsbluff.
Friends may visit from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, at Dugan-Kramer Funeral Chapel in Scottsbluff. A memorial has been established in Valerie’s name and may be made in care of her family. Tributes of sympathy may be left at www.dugankramer.com
Valerie was born on January 4, 1961, at Scottsbluff, Nebraska, the daughter of Harvey Gene and Shirley Jane Kerbel of Morrill. Valerie was the one in the middle of an older sister and younger brother.
Valerie went to school at Morrill Public Schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade, graduating in the class of 1979. In the fall she went to Chadron State College in Chadron, graduating from there with a double major in Business and Home Economics in 1983. While attending college Valerie worked at the cafeteria food service. After graduation from Chadron she had a position of assistant manager in Marshall, Missouri, later taking a position of manager at Midland, Texas. She made a move joining her sister at Thornton, Colorado. In 1988, they both moved to Greeley, Colorado, where she worked at the University of Northern Colorado and Aims Community College in business areas of employment. Later Valerie started her own business designing and sewing custom western showman shirts for clients, along with supporting Laura Lee as they developed an Alpaca herd and grooming dogs.
Valerie was a happy cheerful, caring person helping others along life’s way. Valerie’s great enjoyment was time spent with family, caring for people along the life’s way, cooking for family, helping people, sewing projects, animals, flowers, arts, crafts, drawing, and listening to Christian and Country music.
She will be remembered and greatly missed by her sister, Laura Lee; brother, Scott David; mother, Shirley Jane Kerbel; uncles and aunts, Roderick and Connie Hort and cousins in their family, Ernest Eugene and Carol Hort and cousins in their family, Larry and Carol Kerbel and cousins in their family; Don and Becky Kerbel and cousins in their family; close friend, Beverly Martin of Greeley, Colorado; and other friends made during the years and newly acquired cocker spaniel, Zeva.
Preceding Valerie Rae in departure from this life were her father, Harvey Gene Kerbel; grandparents, Adam and Mollie Kerbel Jr. and Ernest J. and Frieda Hort; and loved cocker spaniel, Skeezix.