Emilia Anne McNeely

Emilia "Emily", "Emist", "Em" Anne McNeely, 35, of New Derry, with one breath, gently passed away at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Westmoreland Hospital. Emilia Anne was born on July 23, 1980, in Orange, Calif., the daughter of Joseph Craig McNeely and the late Kathleen Elaine McNeely (Fleming). Emilia grew up near the beach in Southern California and loved the ocean. As an adult, she moved to Northern California and found a new passion in exploring the vineyards. Emilia had an eye for the unique and extraordinary, and surrounded herself with both in her life. She was herself kind, patient, loving, and had a wonderful sense of humor and quick wit. An elegant and an excellent cook, she started her own catering company at the age of 24 and quickly built a reputation for delicious and artistically presented fine cuisine. Emilia loved the colors red and purple. She loved her family. She was a wonderful granddaughter, niece, sister, and a fun and doting aunt. She loved her friends, and anyone lucky enough to get to know her loved her back. At the time of her passing, she was making lists and plans, as always. She was preparing for a transplant and shopping for Christmas, scheduling a future facial, ready to start dating, and ready for her next trip to a favorite sushi restaurant. She never knew she wouldn't be here for any of those plans. She did not accept that possibility. There are few words to truly express the void Emilia leaves, but we know that she is happy as ever, wherever she is, and that all her plans and dreams are coming true. Emilia was predeceased by her mother, Kathleen "Kathy" McNeely; her maternal grandfather, Wellington G. Fleming; her paternal grandparents, James and Florence McNeely; and several aunts and an uncle. She is survived by her father, Joseph "Joe" Craig McNeely and his wife, Rebecca, of Alexandria, Va.; her brother, Richard "Rick" Patrick Weiers, of Laguna Beach, Calif.; her sister, Kristen Elaine Weiers; and niece, Victoria Lauren Satterfield, of Latrobe; her maternal grandmother, Carolyn Elaine Fleming; aunts, Kerrie, Colleen and Ruthie Fleming, of Latrobe; her aunt, Sandy Rheem and her husband, Dick, of Palm Coast, Fla.; her uncle, Mark S. Fleming, of Laguna Beach, Calif.; her uncle, David McNeely and his wife, Carrie, of Huntington Beach; her aunt, Barbara Fisher and her husband, Dave, of Irvine, Calif.; and many other aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Our family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Excela Westmoreland Hospital for the professional and dedicated care of Emily while she was in the ICU, and we would like to thank the hospice nurses and counselor who shared such strength, knowledge and absolute compassion for not only our Emily, but for our family as well. A memorial celebrating Emilia's life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Latrobe with the Rev. Jeffrey Schock officiating. Frederick Funeral Home, Inc., 1543 Ligonier Street, Latrobe, PA 15650 in charge of arrangements. To send online condolences, please visit www.FrederickFuneralHome.com.