Ruby Feland-Miceli

Ruby Feland-Miceli (nee Lease), Age 84, of Belleville, IL born February 9, 1930 in Fort Ashby, WV passed away Tuesday, February 25, 2014 in Belleville, IL. Ruby grew up on a farm in the hills and hollows of West Virginia. She was a 1949 graduate of the West Virginia School for the Deaf in Romney, WV. She spent one additional year there taking college preparatory classes. In 1950-1951 she attended Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. There she met her first husband, Richard “Dick” Feland. They were married October 6, 1951 in his home state of North Dakota. They had four children, William, Debbie, Frank, and Robert. Dick passed away in 1987. They had been married 35 years. After several years, Ruby met and married Nicholas “Nick” Miceli of Rochester, NY. Nick passed away in 2008. They had been married 15 years.

Ruby worked at a number of different jobs over the years, but her greatest desire was always to be a good wife, a good homemaker, and a great mother. She was an active member of the National Association of the Deaf, ND Alumni Club of the Deaf, WV Alumni Club of the Deaf, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church of the Deaf (MN), Gallaudet Alumni, several Deaf Clubs in central Florida, and Senior National Association of the Deaf. She enjoyed sewing, crochet, cooking, baking, painting, Bible study and, most of all, visiting friends and relatives across the country.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Adam and Gertrude (nee Wagoner) Lease; husbands Richard “Dick” Feland, and Nicholas “Nick” Miceli; son William “Bill” Feland, stepson Fred Miceli; sisters Alice Lease, Stella Stallings, Louise Nasser, and Etta Margaret “Maggie” Male; brothers George Lease, Arthur “Pete” Lease, Oscar “Tom” Lease; sister-in-law Ruth Desilets; brothers-in-law Ovalt “Junior” Feland, and James “Jim” Overby.

Ruby is survived by her daughter, Debbie (George) Mills of O’Fallon, IL; her sons, Frank (Debbie) Feland of North Richland Hills, TX and Robert “Bob” (Paula) Feland of Savage, MN; grandsons Mark Mills, Justin Feland, and Joshua Feland; granddaughters Jessie Mills, Julia Feland, and Jazmeen Clark; brother Harold “Mike” (Alice) Lease; sisters-in-law Emilie Reishus, Margaret “Maggie” Overby, and Johanna South; brothers-in-law John (Deanna) Overby and Leon (Linda) Overby; stepchildren Diega Miceli, Audrey DeBarr, Margaret “Peggy” Spinelli, and Nicholas “Nicky” Miceli. Ruby is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and friends in the Deaf community.

Graveside service will be held at a later date at Morningside Memorial Gardens, 11800 University Ave NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448. Memorials in Ruby’s memory may be made to the Gallaudet University 150th Scholarship Fund, online at http://giving.gallaudet.edu/ or by mail to Gallaudet University, Office of Giving, 800 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Send cards or letters of condolence to:

Debbie Mills, 119 Cornelius Dr, O’Fallon, IL 62269, or e-mail Debbie at [email protected].

Frank Feland, 205 Sil Cove, Leander, TX 78641

Bob Feland, 4314 McColl Dr, Savage, MN 55378