Velma Mae Hill

Velma Mae Murrell Hill Velma Mae was born on April 2, 1926 in Omaha, NE to parents Cassie Rose and Zachary Taylor Murrell. Velma departed this life on September 26, 2014, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, nephew and cousins. Velma was the child of a Pullman Porter and a beautician. In her early life, she had experiences that would shape her adult years in many ways. A. Philip Randolph, the organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, was a frequent guest in the family home. The Murrell family was one the first occupants when the Logan Fontenelle Homes opened in 1938. Who knew that one day she would be the Director of Management for Omaha Housing Authority, and even later she would see the Logan Fontenelle Homes razed? Velma attended Druid Hill elementary school and graduated from Central High School. She worked at the stockyards and then attended beauty school. Taylor Murrell had the Debutante’s Beauty Salon built on 24th and Pinkney for his daughter and his wife. Velma’s children grew up, hearing stories about her customers. Dinah Washington got her hair done when she was in town performing. Velma met her first husband, Clifford Jackson. Arthritis crept in, and that was the end of Velma’s days as a beautician. It would the first time that she reinvented herself and it wouldn’t be the last. It was during this time when Velma met Lee Hill, a bus driver from Des Moines. They married in 1955. Over the next 40 years, Velma became a force to reckon with. She was a community organizer, working for Greater Omaha Community Action. She was an executive director, with the South Omaha Neighborhood Association, where she spearheaded the project that resulted in the La Fern Williams Center in South Omaha. She served as the Director of Management for the Omaha housing Authority, for 10 years, and finally retired from that post in the late 1980’s. At the ripe old age of 65, she came out of retirement to run the Bellevue Housing Authority. Velma led a long and fulfilling life. She managed to meet a sitting president, Gerald R. Ford in 1976. And in 1993, she met Nelson Mandela. She was a (lifetime member) of St. John AME church, where she introduced her four children to the Lord. Velma was preceded in death by her husband Lee Wallace Hill; her parents Cassie Rose and Zachary Taylor Murrell; sister O'Tillie Ann; and brother Monrovia Taylor. Her sister Florence Lenton Koonce departed this earth on August 6, 2014. Velma’s life is celebrated by four children: Clifford Taylor Hill, Omaha; Muzette Hill (Terry) Stallings Detroit Michigan; Delia Rosanne Hill, Omaha and Leigh Wallace Hill aka Toby, Omaha. Memorial Service Saturday, 12:00 PM at St. John’s A.M.E Church, 2402 North 22nd Street, Omaha, NE. Memorial Service Saturday, 12:00 PM at St. John’s A.M.E Church, 2402 North 22nd Street, Omaha, NE.