Valeria “Val” Vermillion, 99
Valeria “Val” Vermillion, age 99, of Stevens Point, passed away on Sunday, August 14, 2022 at Marshfield Medical Center – River Region Hospital, Stevens Point.
She was born on November 24, 1922, at home on her family’s farm in the Town of Carson in Portage County. She was the 12th child of Rose (Stelmachowski) and Matthew Moscinski. The name on her birth certificate is Viola, but the name recorded on her baptismal certificate is Valeria. She remembers being called Viola in school, but her mother always called her “Valerika.” Her family and friends have known her as Vallie or Val. She was given the middle name Loretta when she was confirmed.
Val grew up on the family farm and attended the Violet and Grove Elementary Schools from first through eighth grades. For the two years after completing her elementary education, Val worked as a “mother’s helper” for various families in the Town of Carson. In 1939, at the age of 16, Val moved to Wilmette, Ill. to work for the George Hartnett family. She provided childcare for their son, George, Jr., and kept house for the family. She worked for the Hartnett’s through 1945.
Val met Harrison “Wayne” Vermillion in 1941. They were married on May 27, 1944, in Indiantown Gap, Penn. Val continued working at the Hartnett household while Wayne was deployed overseas. They moved to Galesburg, Ill. with their son, George.
Along with being a busy mother of seven children, Val served as president of St. Patrick’s Church Rosary Society and helped with office work at her husband’s insurance agency.
Val and Wayne separated in the summer of 1959 and were divorced in 1964. With her children, Val moved to Junction City and worked nights as a telephone operator in the local telephone office. She took classes at the Stevens Point School of Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education, eventually working part-time in the school’s office. After completing her course work, she was employed full-time at the school. She retired in May 1988.
After retirement, Val kept busy caring for her grandchildren, working with her sisters to sew quilts, and canning hundreds of jars of fruits and vegetables. She enjoyed making horseradish, czarnina, and kishka with her family. She was always ready to help whenever she could, from setting hair to sharing her home to providing transportation. She loved listening and dancing to polka music and enjoyed church picnics. She was devoted to her church and the rosary.
Valeria is survived by her daughters, Margaret “Peg” Doede of Plover, Patricia Vermillion of Stevens Point, and Mary (Jim) Patten of Plover; grandchildren: Elizabeth (Randy) Busch, Christopher (Kelcy) Doede, Paul Bannach, Anne Doede, Lauren Vermillion, Hannah Patten; great-grandchildren: Nathan, Jillian, Donovan, Benson, Eloise, and John, along with numerous relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, 13 brothers and sisters, and four sons: George, age 3; James, age 8; John, age 5; Thomas, age 2.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 2151 Stanley Street, Stevens Point on Saturday, August 20, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Steven J. Brice officiating. Burial will follow at St. Michaels Parish Cemetery, Junction City.
A visitation for family and friends will be held at the Pisarski Funeral Home, 703 Second Street, Stevens Point, on Friday, August 19, 2022, from 4-7 p.m. concluding with the Rosary prayers. Visitation will continue on Saturday at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Mass.
The Pisarski Funeral Homes are honored to be serving the family. For online condolences please visit www.pisarskifuneralhome.com.
The family wishes to thank all the medical providers, family, and neighbors who helped with Val’s care and recovery over the years.
