Valerie Uihlein

Valerie Bolte Uihlein, 46, of Bloomington, Illinois, died at the University of Chicago Medical Center on the morning of Friday, September 20, 2024. Born on September 5, 1978, in Hinsdale, Illinois, to Ronald J. and Kathryn E. (Halpin) Uihlein, she grew up in DuPage County and earned a high school diploma from Hinsdale South High School. Valerie attended Illinois State University, from which she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Valerie helped a close friend set up the Bloomington law firm of Campbell & Kording, Ltd. They worked together for the next 14 years. During this period, Valerie developed exceptional skill as a paralegal and was promoted to the position as the firm’s legal administrator, responsible for overseeing all of the staff and operations. She later assisted in the 2016 transfer of the firm’s practice to the larger Central Illinois law firm of Meyer Capel, P.C. The lawyers for whom she worked would confirm that Valerie was a master of her craft.

Besides the satisfaction of a job well done, Valerie’s greatest joys in life included traveling with her sister and friends, attending theatrical productions (especially Hamilton), listening to music (she loved Matchbox 20) and true-crime podcasts, watching movies and cooking shows, baking all manner of sweets, and swapping stories and sharing laughs with her friends. An avid runner, she completed multiple half- and full marathons, including the famed New York City Marathon twice. She cherished organizing and attending the long-weekend “ISU Friends Campout” gathering that she and several ISU alumni couples made an annual tradition during each of the last 23 summers. An ardent feline lover, Valerie nurtured her beloved Stevie from shy kitten into the strong, beautiful cat he is today.

Valerie’s volunteer work was extensive. Through the years, she enjoyed lengthy volunteer tenures with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s annual Out of Darkness Walk, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of McLean County, and the Providing Access to Help (PATH) Suicide and Mental Health Crisis Hotline call center in Bloomington, among many others.

Valerie mightily fought an awe-inspiring, seven-year battle against the leukemia that ultimately caused her passing. She endured her many health issues just like she managed her work—always pushing forward, never stopping, and without complaining.

To say that Valerie was loyal to her family and friends is to understate the sentiment severely. She relished the time she spent with her sister Marci and her late husband. She became fast friends with fellow cancer survivor Kim, a connection between soulmate friends that each wished could have started decades earlier. “Big sister” Valerie befriended and spent time regularly over the course of a few years with “little sister” Avery. Valerie also leaves behind many long-time friends and former co-workers who count themselves so fortunate to have called her their friend. To those who knew and treasured her, Valerie’s passing is an immeasurable loss.

 Funeral services will be held 11:00 A.M. on Thursday, September 26, at Blair-Owens Funeral Home (102 E. Dunbar) in Mahomet, Illinois.  The visitation will be one hour prior to the service (10:00-11:00).  She will be buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Urbana.

Please make a donation in Valerie's name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

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