Obituary of Elsie P. McNiel

Elsie Louise Parkey McNiel was born July 31, 1926 in Divernon, Illinois. As a small child, she and her family moved to Lee County, VA. During this move, it is suspected that Elsie contracted Typhoid fever, from which her immune system never fully recovered. Elsie graduated from Lee County High School in 1942, and then traveled to Middlesboro, KY to attend Business College. She graduated in 1944, and returned to Lee County where she found employment at the county court house. It's there that she met her husband, Harold McNiel (1923-2009). In 1945 Harold and Elsie were married, and a year later their first child, Rosemary, was born. Harold and Elsie then moved to Northern Virginia, and soon son Robert joined the family. Harold and Elsie both worked in the accounting department of the Naval Research and Development Center for 32 years, retiring on the same day. Following their retirement, Elsie and Harold enjoyed spending a great deal of time with their grandchildren. Later, they loved traveling with their daughter, Rosemary, and their great-granddaughter, Casey, to places such as the Great Smokey Mountains, Myrtle Beach, and Amish Country. Elsie was a strong, hardworking woman, despite having health issues that would have kept others down. She was generous with her time and love, especially when it came to children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was also known for her green thumb, beautiful crafting (sewing, knitting, quilting, and needlework), and her amazing memory. She enjoyed telling stories about her children and grandchildren, and the stories included the tiniest of details thanks to her sharp memory. Elsie is survived by her two children, Rosemary and Robert; her son-in-law Gary; her daughter-in-law Sue; her grandchildren: David (and Marcia), Heidi (and Bill), Chris (and Kristen), Mike (and Kim), Bobby (and Lana), and Danny (and Amy); as well as her nine great-grandchildren: Casey, Joseph, Kaila, Hudson, Landon, Brayden, Clayton, Wyatt, and Brooklyn.