Contributions to the tribute of Neva Campbell Atwell

L

Lori Giardino posted a condolence

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Much love to you all as you grieve such a great loss here on earth. Thank you for the wonderful packet with eulogies and the program from Aunt Neva’s ceremony. I wish we could have been there with the family for this event. May God bless you all. Love, Lori, Vince and family

G

Garry Dilmore posted a condolence

Thursday, February 28, 2019

I am so sorry for your loss, and mine. I will miss Aunt Neva terribly. After the loss of my Mother I could always call Aunt Neva and know she missed her too and we could comfort each other. They are together now and I'm sure they are laughing it up. I love and miss you all. Garry

D

Danny Dilmore posted a condolence

Thursday, February 28, 2019

So sorry to hear aunt Neva has passed,my thoughts prayers to the whole family Love Danny

C

Claudia Fitzgerald posted a condolence

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

A Heartfelt “Thank You” to Neva Thank you, Neva, for the caring, considerate, loving, unassuming person you were. Always a good word for and about everyone and such a pleasure to be in your company. You touched many hearts making life much sweeter. One of the finest people we will ever know. Beautiful inside and out. Thank you from your neighbors of Greenlea Drive. You were the best. Always a friendly gesture with a loving smile as we passed by. Your home always open to us with a warm welcome. Whether we had a need or just stopped for a visit, you were there for us. Always working diligently to make your gardens and home so presentable. You truly made Greenlea an even better and happier place to live. Thank you for your concern for my family and me whenever you could see the road was a bit bumpy for us. Whether it be sickness, a death in the family, the loss of employment or just struggling with what life was throwing at us, you could feel our pain and looked to comfort us. We knew you were there to truly listen and help. You always treated us like family. Thank you for your unending strength to fight during your times of illness and struggle. For letting us help you where and when we could. It was our sincere pleasure to be able to reciprocate to you. Thank you for sharing your delicious bake goods with us and always accompanied by an affectionate, handwritten note. Baking was certainly your trademark. You could actually feel the love with every bite of your cookies and breads. We always looked so forward to receiving and truly counted on that Christmas platter. After receiving our first batch of chocolate chip cookies years ago, my son highly complimented you. He was so very happy he did, as the cookies kept coming, it seemed weekly, for the next several months! He continued to use that card quite often. Your banana bread of two weeks ago was absolutely incredible. As they say, you saved the best for last our friend! Thank you from your furry friend, Darby. For always making her feel loved and welcomed in your home. For the treats you had available, just for her alone. For letting her clean your hands and face over and over and over again. She surely loved you and will probably forever lead us up your driveway. But, the biggest Thank You of all is from me, my dear friend. It is so very hard to say goodbye. You have blessed me over 20 years with a wonderful friendship. We shared love, laughter, similarities, wisdoms and created endearing memories that I will forever hold close. Thank you for being such an important piece of my life and making it richer and fuller in knowing you. Words cannot convey how much I and everyone will miss you. And so, as we ended all our conversations, “I LOVE YOU”. Claudia Fitzgerald and Family

B

Brenda & Michael Tholin posted a condolence

Monday, February 25, 2019

We are so very sorry to hear about Neva passing. She was a beautiful soul. Our prayers and thoughts are with all of you. Hugs and Love.

C

Chaplain Paul O'Keefe posted a condolence

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Alan, So sorry to hear of Your Wife Neva's Passing. Sending My Condolences and Prayers to You and Your Family. May Neva Rest In Peace!!!

J

Jerrold Morris Atwell posted a condolence

Saturday, February 23, 2019

February 23, 2019 Welcome, Thank you all for coming today. As I look out over this loving crowd, I can hear Mom … “you didn’t have to come here for me. You should be home with all your families today”. Neva Marie, what a beautiful name for a wonderful lady. I had the rare privilege and honor, to be a part of this woman’s life for over seventy years. As her first child born in the waning months of the 1940s it was a time of wonder and excitement. Her man had safely returned from the Great War and they were about to begin building a new life and a new family. Being the first child, has many privileges, just because everything is new. Looking back, I have been very fortunate that she was my Mother. In the little hamlet of Breesport, New York she was a fixture of the community and its church. Neva was always in the background, but an important part of its development and direction. As her family expanded with the addition of daughters Alane and Barbara, sons Jeffrey and Jonathan, her love and zest for life were only outmatched by her love for her children. She was always there for every one of us. Good times, and not so good. There were days of celebration, as well as days of guidance. And not once, did she ever do anything that was not in the best interest of her family. When the family relocated to Clifton Park, New York, this service to family and community continued to her final days. Hospitality was very important to Mom. She knew everyone’s favorite, food, beverage, snack or dessert. She would make sure it was always available when you visited her home. Not just a variety of items, but your favorite. There were two full sized freezers filled with specialty items catering to everyone’s special tastes. Even the great-grand children still have their favorite ice cream or popsicle within easy reach in the garage freezer. When she learned, wife Peg liked banana cake, but without nuts, there would be a defrosted loaf, without nuts, sitting in the kitchen every time she visited. As for me, I sure will miss those delicious cookies. Now, if I could only teach Dad to bake. :-). Mom was a hard worker – a veritable energizer bunny until very recently. Actually, when everyone was enjoying the family pool, Mom was in the water with a brush scrubbing the grime from the water line all around the pool! She supplemented work in her own house and garden with volunteer work that has so enriched this community. I would like to share with you a few phrases of her wisdom that have been with me for many years: “Son, if you can’t say something nice, try not to say anything at all.” That one nugget, has kept me out of trouble many, many times. Another one you may have heard: “If it isn’t something … it’s something else.” We can all relate to that one. In her later years, we’ve all heard: “It is, what it is!” These little saying are but the tip of an iceberg of wisdom and loving guidance that she has passed along not only to her children, but equally important, to her children’s children. We are all grateful for her life and the positive impact it has had on your lives and this community. On behalf of all those gathered here as well as those who could not be with us today, Thank you Neva for such a rich and positive influence on our lives. We will all miss you, so very, very much. Thank you.

J

Jerrold Morris Atwell posted a condolence

Saturday, February 23, 2019

February 23, 2019 Welcome, Thank you all for coming today. As I look out over this loving crowd, I can hear Mom … “you didn’t have to come here for me. You should be home with all your families today”. Neva Marie, what a beautiful name for a wonderful lady. I had the rare privilege and honor, to be a part of this woman’s life for over seventy years. As her first child born in the waning months of the 1940s it was a time of wonder and excitement. Her man had safely returned from the Great War and they were about to begin building a new life and a new family. Being the first child, has many privileges, just because everything is new. Looking back, I have been very fortunate that she was my Mother. In the little hamlet of Breesport, New York she was a fixture of the community and its church. Neva was always in the background, but an important part of its development and direction. As her family expanded with the addition of daughters Alane and Barbara, sons Jeffrey and Jonathan, her love and zest for life were only outmatched by her love for her children. She was always there for every one of us. Good times, and not so good. There were days of celebration, as well as days of guidance. And not once, did she ever do anything that was not in the best interest of her family. When the family relocated to Clifton Park, New York, this service to family and community continued to her final days. Hospitality was very important to Mom. She knew everyone’s favorite, food, beverage, snack or dessert. She would make sure it was always available when you visited her home. Not just a variety of items, but your favorite. There were two full sized freezers filled with specialty items catering to everyone’s special tastes. Even the great-grand children still have their favorite ice cream or popsicle within easy reach in the garage freezer. When she learned, wife Peg liked banana cake, but without nuts, there would be a defrosted loaf, without nuts, sitting in the kitchen every time she visited. As for me, I sure will miss those delicious cookies. Now, if I could only teach Dad to bake. :-). Mom was a hard worker – a veritable energizer bunny until very recently. Actually, when everyone was enjoying the family pool, Mom was in the water with a brush scrubbing the grime from the water line all around the pool! She supplemented work in her own house and garden with volunteer work that has so enriched this community. I would like to share with you a few phrases of her wisdom that have been with me for many years: “Son, if you can’t say something nice, try not to say anything at all.” That one nugget, has kept me out of trouble many, many times. Another one you may have heard: “If it isn’t something … it’s something else.” We can all relate to that one. In her later years, we’ve all heard: “It is, what it is!” These little saying are but the tip of an iceberg of wisdom and loving guidance that she has passed along not only to her children, but equally important, to her children’s children. We are all grateful for her life and the positive impact it has had on your lives and this community. On behalf of all those gathered here as well as those who could not be with us today, Thank you Neva for such a rich and positive influence on our lives. We will all miss you, so very, very much. Thank you.

R

Rebecca Atwell & Sarah Richburg posted a condolence

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Our Gram was a quiet, sweet, caring and sincere woman; not a judgmental bone in her body and as patient as patient comes. She spent many hours stirring in her head worrying about all of us. This past Father’s Day, we gathered as we typically do for all special occasions, she was particularly talkative stating while she had an audience she wanted us to know – “life is what it is, if I want to be concerned about all you kids, you can bet your life that’s what I’m going to do” – and she did. She never wanted to inconvenience anyone and quietly would do anything to ensure we were all happy. She was just weeks shy of her 91st birthday, married to our Gramps for 73 years. 73 YEARS. I’ll be lucky to do anything for 73 consecutive years. It’s clear the foundation of their relationship was solid despite any bumps along the way. This woman was truly the glue that held this family together. She spent her life raising her family. As the mother of five, the stories of the Atwell adventures are endless. There are 16 years between our father Jerrold, her oldest and our uncle Jon her youngest; and if you know the Atwell’s, you know they saved the best for last and “finally got it right”. No one could make her laugh as hard as our Uncle Jon. Her laughter will echo in our memories forever as she certainly spread joy and happiness everywhere she went. Our Gram had an incredibly special relationship with her grandchildren and especially so with her great-grandchildren who referred to her as their “NaNa.” Which may have been derived from her disciplinary method of No-No-No-No-Noooo (both wave finger). There will be moments that we choose to connect to her presence instead of ignoring. The first of which is that the timing of her passing coincided with both our 4 ½ year old boys (Hunter & John Joseph) awaking in the middle of the night. John Joseph sat up and exclaimed something that sounded like “NaNa!” and Hunter came to my bedside and told me “mama I need to cuddle with you now.” This past Monday, the snow fell ever so delicately throughout that entire day. Not enough to cause fuss or danger, just continuously and gracefully to create the most picture perfect winter scene. This too was appropriate, given the Spanish meaning of her name, Neva, is “white snow”. When it was time to tell Hunter the news, he stared out the window and paused for a moment, biting his lower lip as if holding back tears. His initial response was “John Joseph and Zayden are going to be really sad about this”. He proceeded to ask me if Nana would now be a bird, I agreed “of course she can be a bird” and he decided she would be a bluebird. Ironically, bluebirds flock to her backyard and nest in the birdhouses my grandfather has made. That backyard is a place of family gatherings and fellowship. Our Aunt Lanie and Uncle Karl were married in that the backyard; pool parties with our neighbors or Chingachgook kids took place in that back yard; countless holiday picnics surrounding the pool eating Gram’s potato salad took place in that back yard; she “puttsed” around pulling weeds in that backyard. Bluebirds typically denote to a period of time characterized by sunny, cloudless weather, typically after a night of snowfall. The picture window from her kitchen, where she spent tens of thousands of hours preparing meals to joyfully fill our bellies, overlooks that backyard of endless memories of her. When I explained to John Joseph later that day that gram had passed, he had some very powerful words and message within his response. We asked if he wanted to go visit Great Grampa’s and other family who were convening at Nana’s house and he said that he would look for her when we got there. I explained that he could look for her, but he wasn’t going to find her there anymore. To which he replied, I’ll look to see what clues she left me – because I know that she loved me. Those of us fortunate enough to have been in Gram’s inner circle can all gain reassurance from John Joseph’s approach to coping with her absence. Just look for the clues Gram has left behind, reminding us of her love. Whether it be in the clothes she and Aunt Barb brought home from the Treasure Shop, or the sound of a cow bell at a sporting event, a hand written card for our Birthday, or a crispy chocolate chip cookie, a long hug that reminds us of her affection, or a belly laugh at something genuinely funny, the smell of fresh pancakes in the morning (whether out of a kitchen or over a camp fire – she’d go to great lengths even on our family canoe & camping trips to cater to the family a good cooked meal); or the sense of unconditional love for another; soft snow on a quiet winter’s morning, or the endless memories of good times spent in her presence. She led a completely fulfilled life, one that each of us can learn from as a superb example. We thank her from the bottom of our hearts for everything she shared with us and so many that we love. We are all extremely lucky to have known her. Find your clues, watch for bluebirds and may you find comfort here today knowing she left nothing undone. We can continue to live our best life because of the positive influence she has been on each of us and all will be well.

G

Gary and Nancy Miller posted a condolence

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Dear Family: Your mother Neva is well remembered at the Breesport United Methodist Church. She brought the family to Sunday services, worked community suppers and was a wonderful leader with the MYF youth group. Her entire family served the community well. We remember her fondly as a wonderful person. Sincerely, Gary and Nancy

J

Janet DeRusso posted a condolence

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Neva I love you, and to the family your mother was an angel on earth always caring about others and helping others. You are now in heaven with all the other Angel's you know, and I will always look after your family members. God bless, I love you, janet

Neva Campbell Atwell

1928 - 2019

Plant a tree in memory of Neva

About Us

Location

Map

Quick Links