Ila Christensen Neeley was born in Logan, Utah on May 23, 1937, the oldest child of Byron and Phoebe Christensen. The Christensens lived first in Alta, Wyoming, and then Driggs, Idaho. As she grew up, Ila spent time watching her younger sister and two younger brothers, helping with the sheep and cattle and other farm activities, sledding, reading voraciously, and practicing the violin and piano. She majored in English in college and married her high school sweetheart, Dean Neeley from Felt, Idaho.
Ila and Dean made their home in the Sugar House area of Salt Lake City and raised two children there, Anne and Rolfe. Dean was a plumbing contractor and Ila did technical writing and editing. She excelled as a wordsmith, both technically and poetically. A savvy businesswoman, Ila managed a team of writers who produced technical manuals and business systems processing procedures for such corporations as Sperry Univac/Unisys, Computer Consoles, Inc., International Computers Limited, and Novell. Eventually, she owned her own business and was a leader in the field.
It took three tries until it finally “took”, but when retirement finally came for Ila, she threw herself into activity with the Assistance League of Salt Lake, running the Operation School Bell program for many years. She had season tickets to the Utah Opera, Ballet West, and Pioneer Theatre Company. She was a supportive mother, sister, and aunt, attending every performance and major life event of her extended family.
Through the years, the Neeley family enjoyed vacationing in the parks of Southern Utah, and in their native Idaho, where they built a family cabin. With her love of literature and the land, Ila read everything she could find on culture, history, property and water issues in the West. The Neeleys retained family land in Teton Valley and, when development seemed inevitable, Ila decided to do it herself, rather than defer to an outside developer. With an emphasis on families and accessibility, she set up a neighborhood with local Native American tribal street names, where children play in parks, and families walk their dogs.
In her last few years, dementia began to claim Ila’s bright mind, but it did nothing to diminish her joy for life. She continued to attend performances with her daughter, go to lunch, cheer for the Jazz, people watch from the front porch, and have her breakfast while laughing at the squirrels’ antics. She passed away peacefully with family around her on July 11, 2024.
Ila was predeceased by her parents and husband, and is survived by her siblings, Rich (LaRae) Christensen, Valoy (Rocky) Taylor, Conley Christensen, and by her children, Anne Neeley and Rolfe Neeley.
Services will be held Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Viewing 12:45-1:45, Funeral 2:00, Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3401 S. Highland Drive, Millcreek, Utah, Interment to follow. The funeral will be streamed from this link: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTcyMDgzMDgxMTMxODU5MyZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==
