Renee Newell Walan of Aurora, IL was born in Fairmont, WV on December 12, 1958. She passed away quietly on October 20, 2021.
She was preceded in death by her parents, David and Barbara Newell and her husband Jefferey Walan of Aurora, IL.
She leaves behind three children Dina Callihan, Amber Massie and her husband Jason, and Ryan Goetz all of Illinois as well as five grandchildren Harley, Dylan, Clark, Emmett and Nash.
She also leaves behind her brother Wade, his wife Marcy and their sons, Kyle, Caleb, & Keaton and their families. Also her sister, Tane Toothman, and her husband Joe, all of West Virginia as well as two half sisters, Diane and Rose.
In addition, she was deeply loved and will be missed by the family of Jefferey Walan including many nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.
A special note of deeply felt gratitude is extended to the children of Jeff Walan- Elizabeth, Alex, Kathryn, Andrew, and Stephanie- for their extraordinary love and support of Renee through the years and increasingly in more recent years following the death of their father. They have made untold sacrifices.
Renee Newell-Walan was special...a woman who gave many years of her life caring for others including the raising of two of her grandchildren along with her husband Jeff and providing care to Jeff, both of his parents, and her own parents in the latter days of their lives. She also gave enormously of herself to children through the CASA program in Kane County IL. She loved Bob Seger, popcorn, kayaking, trees and the color purple.
She was loved and will be deeply missed by us all.
A family gathering was held in McCurdysville, WV on August 6th-8th, 2022 which included the planting of a Dogwood tree in her memory. The tree roots were joined with items of "special" significance and the site surrounded by stones which were signed and placed by and for members of her family. The site is continually lit by purple light, which was her favorite color. A plaque was set in front of it which reads "ALWAYS WITH US"....And she is.