The following obituaries appeared in the May 15, 2019 edition of the Star Valley Independent.
Della May McWilliams Skinner was born April 13, 1939 to Edna and Ira McWilliams in Big Piney, Wyoming. She had two brothers, Ike and Gene. From a young age Della May proved to have a natural musical talent. She sang and taught herself how to play the guitar. Her parents were true pioneers and enjoy teaching the children the cowboy way of life. Della May was known for her horsemanship as she put the finishing touches on the horses her brother Ike broke. Della May met her husband DeRell Skinner while he was working for the forest service. They dated for a year and married when she was 16. She was blessed with two hard-working sons who shared her passion for the outdoors. She taught them everything from hunting and skinning, cooking, to leather tooling, riding horses, and overall how to work hard and have fun. Over the years Della May worked at a variety of local businesses including Freedom Arms, Maverick, Star Valley Ranch, and Danas cold storage. Della May was a member of the Thayne EMTs for 18 years and would drop anything to help a stranger or a friend in need. After her husband passed away, Della May met Kay Schultz while working at Freedom Arms. Their friendship lasted 34 years and it was often said that they were good for each other. Della May‘s family would like to sincerely thank Kay for being such a good companion and friend to her especially the past few years as her health declined.
Della May, Randy Graham, Arlon Gomm, and Louanna Gomm formed their own band “The Goodtimers” and played at local establishments for years. She loved to sing and play the guitar. Della May could come across as a course or brash woman when you first met her, but if you were lucky enough to get past the wisecracks you would see the kindest woman that ever lived. Her thoughts were always of others. It didn’t matter what life threw at her, she pulled up her boots and made the best of it. Her last request was to be in the comfort of her own home surrounded by family and friends who loved her. Kay made sure to honor this request and Della May passed peacefully from complications of COPD with family and friends by her side singing, telling touching and funny stories of their life with her. Della May is survived by her son Dusty (Anona) Skinner, six grandchildren, Nick, Brett, Sahen, Heather, Taylor, Steele, two great grandchildren, and many more nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son Denny, her brother Ike, husband DeRell, parents Edna and Ira. For those that would like to celebrate her life with family and friends, a gathering will take place at the Schwab Funeral home in Thayne, Wyoming from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Thayne EMTs, PO Box 1564 Thayne, WY 83127.
Melanie Sue Hurd Summers Quinney passed away peacefully on May 5, 2019 to join many family members who welcomed her with joy. She was born in Afton on October 13, 1955, the sixth of nine children born to Agatha Dearman and Doyle N Hurd. She grew up on the family ranch in Grover, Wyoming and attended Afton elementary and Star Valley High school. On October 29, 1971 she married Charles Summers. Two daughters were born to this union. They were later divorced. She spent the rest of her life in the Salt Lake City, Utah area where she worked as a medical professional. Her interests included painting, traveling and reading. She belonged to the Highland Park Book Club for many years where she always provided thoughtful and provocative insights on the books discussed. She was also an active member of the Stratford Camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. She spent most of the last 15 years of her life struggling with the debilitating results of scleroderma. It eventually affected her entire body. Without the exceptional care she received from many caregivers at the University of Utah Medical Center she would never have lived as long or enjoyed the quality of life that she did. Shortly before her death she was able to marry her wonderful best friend and companion, Roger Quinney. The ICU staff and other friends at the hospital helped facilitate the paperwork, decorated her room and created a “wedding dress” and veil. It was one of the best experiences of her life. She had a strong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many different positions over the years. She will always be remembered for her determination to live life to the fullest in spite of her many health problems, for her compassion, intelligence, quick wit, and wonderful sense of humor. She is survived by her husband Roger Quinney, daughters Dusty Summers and Corie (Jim) Marmorato, siblings; Joyce Semonin, Jeanette Walker, JoAnn (Clint) Pickett, Phillip (Marcia) Hurd, Bruce (May) Hurd, Fred (Tami) Hurd, Carol (Randall) Perry, Cheryl Thompson, five grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers in law, Paul Semonin and William Walker. Because of her rare medical condition, she felt it was important to allow her body to be used for research into the affects of scleroderma and perhaps assist in the development of better treatments for the disease. She requested that a funeral not be held. A family memorial service will be held later in the summer.
