Danelle Hill

On Wednesday, September 23, 2015 Danelle (Holtz) Hill, passed unexpectedly in Denver, CO of natural causes leaving a tapestry of friendships that she had filled with grace and love.The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 610 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59403. Schnider Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.It is not surprising that this gentle one, filled with so much love, would arrive in this world on Valentines Day 1963, born to Don and Dorothy Holtz in Great Falls, Montana. Danelle lived with her parents in Great Falls for only a few short months when her fathers work took them to Missouri. When she was nine months old a new opportunity in air pollution control took the family to Chicago. Danelle would later follow her father into environmental work. Danelle loved the city of Chicago where she spent her first seven years. Her parents decided to return to their beloved Montana in January of 1970. After her parents divorce, Danelle and her mother then lived in Missoula while her mother attended college. In 1972, they moved to Denver where they lived for two years. However, Montana beckoned again and they returned to live in Great Falls. Danelle was able to finish her schooling in Great Falls. She graduated from Great Falls High School in 1981 with honors. More importantly, she had established many lifelong friendships.In the fall of 1981, Danelle went with scholarships in hand to Missoula to attend the University of Montana. She graduated in 1985, once again with honors, receiving her BA in Business and Interpersonal Communications. Danelle met her first husband, Steve Nielsen, while attending the university. They moved to Denver after graduation in 1985 and were married in 1986. Danelle began a Masters Degree program at the University of Denver, when she received the joyous news that she was about to be a mother. Her beautiful daughter, Hannah Charlotte Nielsen was born May 8, 1991. Her family applauded her for completing her Masters in Environmental Policy and Management at the University of Denver in 1994 while working and being a new mother. Steve and Danelle later divorced but remained lifelong friends.Danelle married Michael Hill in 2008. Danelle and Michael were best friends and business partners, but most importantly they were the love of each others lives. They built their businesses, raised their families, traveled the world, and all the while they loved and supported each other every day. Theirs was a short, but truly joyous and loving marriage filled with family, friends and little adventures.Danelles greatest loves were always her family and friends. Her special talent for befriending and nurturing lifetime friendships was her true gift. All who came in contact with her were changed and touched by her thoughtfulness and gentle ways.She was an avid reader, creative gourmet cook, and a lover of the outdoors. Her father taught her to ski at an early age and she became an accomplished skier. She loved skiing, hiking and camping in the Colorado Rockies and kayaking on the Missouri river in Montana. Along the way Danelle took up golf, winning a longest drive contest in an Arizona golf tournament. In 2015, Danelle and her husband purchased a piece of Montana on the Missouri River. They had been making big plans these last few months to build a family cabin on their property and they were dreaming of great get-togethers with family and friends.Danelle was always generous with her time and resources, volunteering over the years. One cause in particular dear to her heart was the Denver Rescue Mission where she participated in numerous fundraising events. Twice she organized amateur drag races at Bandimere Speedway to raise money for the Mission. She was also fond of organizing a childrens toy drive each year to help stock the Missions toy store that allowed needy parents to choose free toys for their children at Christmas. One of Danelles more esoteric charity projects was to collect bras for needy women in Africa and her husband recalls negotiating hundreds of bras on his way about their house during that project.Danelle achieved success in her professional career. She entered banking upon graduation from the University of Montana but soon became interested in insurance. In 1991, with financial backing from William S. Freberg, Danelle cofounded Freberg Environmental Insurance also known as FEI. FEI is a Managing General Agency focused on providing insurance products to the environmental services industry. Danelles special talent at FEI was recruiting, training and leading the underwriting and customer service staff. She led that organization as the Executive Vice President for 17 years. Danelle left FEI in 2008 when it was acquired by Willis Group, a multinational insurance broker based in London. FEI still operates today continuing to employ many of the people Danelle recruited, has sold over one billion dollars in insurance products nationwide and helped countless environmental clean-up projects go forward. In 2009, Danelle cofounded Hill Program Managers, LLC. Her new company is also a Managing General Agency and is focused on providing insurance products to architects, engineers, design build contractors and the energy services industry in the United Sates. All of Danelles current and former coworkers truly loved her and will miss her gentle leadership.Danelle is survived by her husband, Michael Hill of Denver; daughter Hannah Charlotte Nielsen of Denver; father Don (Joan) Holtz of Pasadena; mother Dorothy McCartney of Great Falls; sister Tennyson (Peter) Noyes of Hilo, HI; brother Matthew McCartney of Great Falls; step-children Ryan Hill, William (Melissa) Hill, and Margaret Hill all of Denver; her very close family friend, James Proctor of Denver; first husband, Steve Nielsen of Denver; her beloved, but goofy dog Oscar; as well as many cherished aunties, uncles and cousins.She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Ronald and Charlotte Holtz and her step-father, Lee McCartney.Memorials are suggested to be made to the Denver Rescue Mission, 6100 Smith Road, Denver, CO 80216, https://www.denverrescuemission.org/donate or the Dumb Friends League, 2080 S. Quebec St., Denver, CO 80231, http://www.ddfl.org/ways-to-give/donate/memorial-tribute.