Naomi Victoria Hysell

Naomi Victoria Lee Hysell, age 104, of Rochester died on February 12, 2023, at Charter House in Rochester. A memorial service will be held in late spring or early summer. Naomi was born in Spring Grove, Minnesota, on November 22, 1918. Naomi's middle name of Victoria was in honor of the armistice marking the end of World War I--at the same time the 1918 flu epidemic was raging. Naomi was valedictorian of her high school class in Spring Grove. After teacher practicum courses and some secondary teaching, she graduated summa cum laude in 1941 from Winona State Teacher's College (now Winona State University) in Winona, Minnesota. When teaching in Farmington, Minnesota, she met Niles Hysell at a dance and fell in love. World War II interrupted their plans; after a long-distance courtship with Niles in the Army Air Force, Naomi joined him in Long Beach, California, where they were married on July 17, 1943. Their marriage endured for 59 years until Niles's passing in 2003. After her teaching career, Naomi raised her four sons in the Minnesota and the Northeast. Naomi and Niles lived in six Minnesota cities prior to moving to Metro-New York in 1961. When they became "empty nesters" in 1978, they moved to Manhattan, then Princeton, New Jersey, in 1984. They built a beautiful house in Nellysford, Virginia, in 1986, and finally moved in 1996 to Charter House, in Rochester, Minnesota. Naomi possessed an abundance of elegance, was strikingly beautiful, widely read, very good at bridge, and intellectually accomplished. She was a creative cook; her extended family members still talk about her steamed cranberry pudding-cake with vanilla sauce. She was known for her generosity to family, friends, and the community alike. She measured success not by possessions, but by the health and safety of her family and the good she could do for relatives and the community at large. Naomi supported numerous philanthropies during her life and was active in the life of various churches, most recently the First Presbyterian Church in Rochester. She was known for her practice of devotions: daily readings, prayers, and meditation every morning. Her Christian faith informed her daily life, prompting her to put the needs of others above her own. She became a skilled watercolorist, picking up this art form in her late forties. Her watercolors, freely expressing the beauties of nature, grace the homes of family members and were featured in art exhibitions at Charter House. She is survived by her four sons: Niles Jr. (Judy Mansueto) of Chicago, IL, Jon (Barbara Britt-Hysell) of Clinton, NY, Bill (Mimi Toro) of Nellysford, VA, and Tom (Susan Marie Swanson) of St. Paul, MN; 10 grandchildren, Andrew Hysell of Madison, WI, Matt (Erin) of Brooklyn, NY, Nora of Missoula, MT, Sam of New York, NY, Joe (Claire) of Minneapolis, Julia (Steve) Ruther of Minneapolis, Nick (Sarah) Swanson-Hysell of Berkeley, CA, Lee (Jeff) Wiercinski of Mt. Airy, MD, Cody (Drew) Rankin of Marietta, GA, and Ben (Ella) Swanson-Hysell of St. Paul. She has fifteen great grandchildren. Naomi survived two pandemics and was preceded in death by her parents, her two brothers, four sisters, and her husband. In lieu of flowers, Naomi's family would appreciate a donation to Mayo Clinic Foundation (https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC). Ranfranz and Vine is honored to be serving the Hysell family. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit ranfranzandvinefh.com.