LaVae Dannelly

LaVae (Miles) Dannelly, 87, of Genoa, Nebraska, passed away peacefully at Genoa Long Term Care in Genoa on Saturday, November 29, 2025.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at Gass Haney Funeral Home with Pastor Joyce Dean officiating. Visitation will be held on Monday, December 8, 2025, from 5-7 PM at Gass Haney Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to The BrightFocus Foundation: Alzheimer's Disease Research.

LaVae was born on August 10, 1938, in Columbus, Nebraska, to Harold and Marie Miles. She grew up in Columbus alongside her brother Harold, whose passing at age 16 left a lasting impression on her life. She attended Third Ward School and graduated from Kramer High School in 1956. Following her graduation, she pursued her passion for beauty and style at Reece & Sybil School of Hairdressing in Grand Island, Nebraska, where she trained in cosmetology.

On May 20, 1958, she married Dana Dannelly at the Methodist Church in Columbus, beginning a lifelong partnership filled with love and devotion. In 1962, LaVae and Dana welcomed their first son, Dana M., followed by their second son, Darin, in 1964. During those years, LaVae owned and operated a beauty shop in Lincoln from 1962 to 1965. Upon returning to Columbus, she opened LaVae's Beauty Shop, which she ran from 1965 to 1970. Even after closing her shop, LaVae continued to serve many loyal clients from her home beauty chair, balancing her work with her most cherished role as a mother and grandmother. LaVae brought warmth, care, and an open door for her grandchildren. She spoke so highly of all of her loved ones, building confidence in anything they do.

LaVae and Dana's journey together took them across Nebraska as Dana opened businesses: first to Dodge in 1970, then to Howells in 1983, followed by a short stay in Albion, before settling in Genoa in 2009.

She loved to sing and was a member of the church chorus group at the Howells Centennial. LaVae had a fondness for bling, art, enjoyed riding along with Dana on Harley Davidson adventures, and treasured the many years they spent together at their cabin in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

LaVae is survived by her husband, Dana Dannelly;

Her children, Dana M. Dannelly of Columbus, NE, and Darin (Gina) Dannelly of McKinney, TX;

Her grandchildren, Miles (Katie) Dannelly and their children Lane and Mack of Genoa, NE; Colby (Megan) Dannelly and daughter Kara of Genoa, NE; Lindsay (Brent) Foxhoven and their children Ollie, Pierce, & Lyla of Fremont, NE; Nicolette (Tyler) Coble and their children Ronan and Vaeda of Platte Center, NE; and Rhys Dannelly of McKinney, TX.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Marie Miles; her brother Harold; her daughter-in-law Ann Dannelly; and her in-laws Chester and Mae Dannelly, Robert and Opal Dannelly, Dale Dannelly, and Lottie Dannelly.

LaVae's legacy of love, devotion, and care will live on in the hearts of her family and all who knew her.

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